Two weeks ago at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, the No. 54 Toyota passed the No. 22 Ford in the NASCAR Nationwide Series owner points battle. Penske Racing went into Charlotte with a five point lead after having some struggles at Kansas late into the running. Going into Texas Motor Speedway this weekend, Joe Gibbs Racing leads by four points with only three races remaining.
Texas this weekend could be a big factor for the No. 22 Penske Racing Ford to get a great finish. Keselowski has yet to capture a victory at Texas, but has finished inside the top-five in seven of his eight starts. The No. 22 has captured eleven victories this season among four different drivers. Penske has yet to win a NASCAR Nationwide Series owners Championship.
“Man, we’ve been so close at Texas over the years but haven’t been able to lead that last lap. We’ve had great speed but it seems like someone else always has just a bit more. This year, though, I think it will be a different story. These Discount Tire Ford Mustangs have a lot of speed everywhere we go. We lost a lot of points a few weeks ago and we need to start making them back up this weekend. Winning the race would go a long way towards doing that.”
The No. 54 Toyota comes into this weekend at Texas fresh off a victory two weeks ago at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The No. 54 has a total of ten victories this season and hopes to tie the No. 22 this weekend. Kyle Busch did capture the victory back here in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in April. That same weekend, he also captured the win a day later in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
“It used to not be so much. I had some wild races there early on in my career and it wasn’t one of my favorite places, for whatever reason. Things have gone well, recently. The spring was a dream weekend for me there. Obviously, the Nationwide Series wins I had there all in a row and getting the win in the Truck Series the last couple of years have been real confidence-boosters. I’ve sort of learned how to drive it a little bit better and I know what I need in my racecar to make it easier. The cars JGR has given me since I joined the team have also been a confidence-booster there.
About Me: Brett has been following the sport of NASCAR since the beginning of the 2006 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Since Brett was 13, he has had a passion of chasing a job in sports that not many get the opportunity of doing. He has been in the NASCAR media since the middle of the 2010 season. Since then, he has been a part of many racing podcast shows to improve his talents. He has written for racingonfuel.com and theracingwheel.com. Currently, Brett writes for motorsportsnat.com and TracksideChatter.com. You can find him on twitter @NASCAR_Brett.
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