Monday, February 14, 2022

Brad Keselowski is 16/1 to win his first Daytona 500

Team: No. 6 Kohler Generators Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Matt McCall
Twitter: @RFK6Team, @RFKRacing and @keselowski

Race Format: 500 miles, 200 laps


Qualifying – Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
Duels – Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
Daytona 500 – Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Speedweeks Format


· While the schedule for Daytona Speedweeks has changed over the years, the format remains the same for teams heading into the Daytona 500.

· Following a pair of practice sessions Tuesday evening, drivers will go for the pole in qualifying Wednesday night, which sets the lineup for the front row for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

· That qualifying session will feature two rounds, with the top-10 speeds in round one moving on to round two. The fastest two cars in round two will lock in as the front row.

· The single-car qualifying results otherwise will set the lineups for Thursday’s duels. Cars finishing first, third, fifth, seventh, etc. in single-car runs will comprise the field for Duel 1. The cars in even-numbered positions will comprise the field for Duel 2.

· Results from those Duels will set the starting lineup for ‘The Great American Race.’ The finishers from Duel 1 will line up on the inside row in order of their Duel finish, while the finishers from Duel 2 will line up outside in order of their finish.

Keselowski at Daytona International Speedway

· Keselowski makes his 26th overall Cup start Sunday in Daytona, and 13th start in the Daytona 500. In 12 Daytona 500 starts all-time, Keselowski has two top-10s and a best finish of third, which came back in 2014. A year prior, he crossed the line fourth.

· Most recently, Keselowski finished 13th in a chaotic 500 last February. He does have one win at ‘The World Center of Racing,’ which came in the 2016 summer event. Overall Keselowski has five top-10s in Cup racing at DIS.

· Keselowski has two top-10 qualifying efforts in the Daytona 500, including a top result of seventh in 2017. He also started ninth in the 2020 season kick-off event.

· Keselowski enters the week with four top-10s in the Duels all-time, including a P4 finish in 2020. Last season he ran 11th in duel No. 2. Thursday will mark his 14th start in the Duels.

· In Xfinity action, Keselowski made 15 starts at Daytona with seven top-10s and a best finish of second (twice – 2012, 2014). He also made three Truck Series starts with a seventh-place run in 2005.

Matt McCall at Daytona International Speedway


· McCall enters his eighth full-time season as a crew chief in the Cup Series. He will be atop the box for his eighth Daytona 500 on Sunday where he carries a best finish of 16th (2018).

· Despite no top-10s in the Daytona 500, McCall does have a P10 finish with Kurt Busch in the 2019 summer race. His best Daytona 500 qualifying effort came with Jamie McMurray in 2017 when the duo ran second in the Duel to qualify third for the 500.

QUOTE WORTHY

Keselowski on racing in the Daytona 500:

“I’m excited to see this all come together and happy to get this journey going. Daytona is obviously one of the most special places you will ever race, and for us it is a great opportunity to put our stake in the ground early and right out of the gate. For me, the 500 hasn’t always treated me with the best of luck despite bright moments along the way, so I have that fire now, more than ever, to add a Daytona 500 win to my career list of accomplishments, and can’t wait to get down to Florida soon to get the week started.”

Last Time Out

Keselowski failed to advance to the main event at the Clash at the Coliseum two weeks ago in Los Angeles.

On the Car

Kohler Generators begins its second season with RFK Racing in 2022, and kicks it off as the primary partner aboard Keselowski’s machine for the Daytona 500. Kohler Generators will serve as the anchor partner for the No. 6 team, and serve as the primary partner for 14 races this season. Kohler initially joined the RFK family in 2021 as a partner in eight events with the No. 6 team.

About Kohler Co.
Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin, Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies comprised of more than 40,000 associates. Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products; engines and power systems; premier cabinetry, tile and lighting; and owner/operator of two of the world’s finest five-star hospitality and golf resort destinations in Kohler, Wisconsin, and St. Andrews, Scotland.

A global force in power solutions since 1920, Kohler manufactures engine

No comments: