Fort Worth, TX – An angry Brad Keselowski lashed out at NASCAR on Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway after officials seized parts from his No. 2 Penske Racing Ford prior to the start of the 500-mile Sprint Cup Series race.
During pre-race inspection, officials confiscated the rear-end housing and other parts from Keselowski's car as well as his Penske Racing teammate, Joey Logano, who drives the No. 22 Ford.
Keselowski, the defending series champion, vented his frustration towards NASCAR's actions when he spoke with reporters following his ninth-place finish.
"I have one good thing to say, and that's my team and the effort they put in today to fight back with the absolute (expletive) that's been the last seven days in the garage area," Keselowski said. "The things that I've seen over the last seven days have me questioning everything that I believe in, and I'm not happy about it. I don't have anything positive to say, and I probably should just leave it at that."
The series competed one week ago at Martinsville Speedway, where Keselowski had a lengthy pit stop with less than 50 laps to go when a NASCAR pit lane official noticed that the right-front tire on his car was outside the pit stall. He had to be pushed back into the correct position and ended up losing several spots in the field. Keselowski bounced back though with a sixth-place finish.
"There's so much stuff going on that you guys (media) have no idea, you have no (expletive) idea what's going on," he said. "I can tell you there's nobody, no team in the garage with the integrity of the 2 team. And the way we've been treated over the last seven days is absolutely shameful. I feel like we've been targeted over the last seven days more than I've ever seen in my life.
"But my guys kept their heads on straight, and they showcased why they are a winning team and a championship team. We're not going to take it, and we're not going to be treated this way."
Since Keselowski and Logano's cars failed inspection, both teams worked feverishly to make adjustments and then resubmitted the vehicles for another inspection. Logano's car had to go through the process three times before it was passed. It did not roll out onto the grid in time for the command to start engines. Therefore, he had to start from the rear of the field. Logano rebounded nicely for a fifth-place finish.
Keselowski, who is currently nine points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, is concerned his team might receive severe penalties from NASCAR later this week. If Keselowski and Logano's teams are penalized, it's likely their crew chiefs will receive suspensions.
"I'm very worried about losing my crew chief, Paul Wolfe, but I can tell you, I've got one of the best car owners (Roger Penske) in the garage," Keselowski said.
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