On Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway, Brad Keselowski ran out of magic.
The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, who survived the Contender Round with an 11th-hour win at Talladega, finished fourth in the final race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup’s Eliminator Round, but as it turned out, only a victory would have given Keselowski a shot at a second series title.
Despite the fourth-place run, Keselowski finished the Phoenix race seventh in the Chase standings, eight points behind Ryan Newman, the last of the four qualifiers.
“We were a little bit short,” Keselowski said. “I’m obviously a little disappointed. I’m not disappointed with the effort, just disappointed it didn’t work out. We just couldn’t overcome the Martinsville hurdle
“We had a decent day, but we needed a win to overcome the week we had at Martinsville, where we broke the gear. We just weren’t quite fast enough to pull that off the last two weeks, and that’s what it was going to take. It’s been a good effort. It’s been a great year. It’s nothing to hang our head on. We controlled the things we could control for the most part and that’s just how this deal works.”
With Keselowski’s exit, the driver with the most victories in the series is on the sidelines, as far as the championship is concerned.
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