[h=2]The passing of the torch[/h] Monday, 16 October 2017


Kelly Crandall / Image by Jarrett, Kinrade/LAT



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Two things happened late Sunday afternoon in the Talladega Superspeedway media center, as one driver reminisced about his restrictor-plate career and another broke down his most recent victory.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished seventh and said farewell to the 2.66-mile Alabama oval which was the site of so much Earnhardt family success.
Upon his exit, Brad Keselowski took center stage following his fifth win at Talladega. The victory solidified Keselowski as second on the active wins list at the track, and when Earnhardt retires at season's end, the Team Penske driver will move up to number one.
The torch for the best restrictor-plate racer on the circuit has been passed.
"It's a special day any day you can win, but to win at Talladega for the fifth time is something I was never sure I'd ever have the opportunity to do," Keselowski said. "Just winning here once felt pretty incredible, and it's hard to believe that was eight-some years ago. To win here again, it still feels pretty damned good."

Fittingly, it happened in Earnhardt's final restrictor-plate race. Keselowski's break in NASCAR came when he drove for Earnhardt's Xfinity Series team from mid-2007 through 2009. Over the weekend, Keselowski, ironically, was also honoring that time through the paint scheme on his Miller Lite Ford.
Of his five wins at Talladega, two have come in the last four races. Sunday might have been his most impressive, though.

Keselowski competed for a portion of the race without radio communication after his antenna broke. When the team finally decided it needed to be fixed if they were going to win, it meant Keselowski falling to the rear of the field.

In a restrictor-plate race clinic, Keselowski worked the draft, found the right lanes and was quickly back in contention. He also had luck on his side, missing all the major wrecks.


Five wins in the Cup Series at Talladega. Another victory there in the Xfinity Series. Keselowski also has a Cup victory at Daytona International Speedway, the other restrictor-plate race on the schedule. Between the two series, Keselowski has led 588 laps at Daytona and Talladega.

Yet statistics aren't just what makes Keselowski good.

When you watch how he races, it is clear Keselowski has an innate sense of what he needs to do and where he needs to put himself. He can come from anywhere in the field, expertly using the draft. Moving through the lanes to keep his run going. Of course, due credit also goes to his spotter, Joey Meier.

The killer instinct behind the wheel belongs to Keselowski, though. There is no laying back. The No. 2 Ford is always charging, always looking to lead laps. And when he gets there, Keselowski does something else not many can do or do well: dictate the pace of the race and keep each lane at bay.

In the early 2000s, Earnhardt was untouchable because of his ability to do that. Not only were his cars the fastest in the series when it came to Daytona and Talladega, but Earnhardt just knew what to do.

Over the past few seasons, there have been others to try and step up. Joey Logano has also had his share of plate success with three wins between the two tracks. Denny Hamlin continues to develop into a solid drafter himself with victories at both venues. Ricky Stenhouse went two-for-four this year in the restrictor-plate races.
Being successful on a consistent basis is where Keselowski stand out. It makes him the new restrictor-plate Pied Piper.