RELATED: Race results | Updated series standings
FONTANA, Calif. -- Brad Keselowski will be the first to tell you it was "quite the day" at work on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. After making contact with cars on the race start, then taking an infield spin -- all within the first five laps -- Keselowski rallied to a runner-up finish, only .779 seconds behind race winner Kyle Larson.
To hear Keselowski tell the story, it was simply a matter of keeping at it no matter the circumstance. And boy, did it pay off.
MORE: Watch Keselowski's early spin
"Great perseverance from this team," Keselowski said on pit road. "I got out of the car and looked at the damage. It's torn to pieces. I feel lucky to finish second and curious what we could have done if we weren't torn up. Great day for us to persevere, despite adversity. You'll have that in a 36-race season, so proud of team for that."
Keselowski's late race rebound was certainly noted by his competitors. What looked like a Larson vs. Martin Truex Jr. trophy run, turned into an all-out scramble with a dozen cars in two laps of overtime.
"The 2 car, I went by him the first run, I just knew his day was over," third-place finisher Clint Bowyer said after the race. "I'll be damned if he didn't finish in front of me.
"How did he do that?" he continued, smiling. "Did you see that?"
MORE: Bowyer takes third at Auto Club
Keselowski's No. 2 Wurth Ford didn't lead a lap all day and spent time in the pits early in the race repairing damage from the opening-lap "adventures."
"The last few restarts were obviously key for us," Keselowski said. "We seemed to get settled into about 10th there, maybe seventh or eighth, then kind of just executed the last few restarts. Good pit calls and so forth. Good timing with the yellows. We caught a few breaks, for sure, and made good adjustments to our car to make up for the damage.
"It takes a little bit of everything: good execution, good work by the team, and a little bit of luck on the last few yellows.
"Glad I got the race on record on the DVR so I can see it."