via RotoWorld/Dan Beaver
Brad Keselowski
had an impressive 2016 season by anyone’s measure but his biggest
disappointments came at the beginning and end of the season and that
might contribute to his being overlooked by the competition.
Keselowski was the third driver to earn his Chase berth when he visited Victory Lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March’s Kobalt 400. He added another victory at Talladega SuperSpeedway in May, and posted consecutive wins at Daytona International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway during the summer. At that time, he looked like one of the favorites to win the Chase. In the span of nine races, he had three victories, six total top-fives, two more top-10s, and a worst result of 15th.
After posting two results in the mid-teens, Keselowski regained his momentum quickly and rattled off nine top-10s in his next 10 races. Most of these were top-fives and that streak carried him well into the Chase. During the playoffs, Keselowski showed a characteristic that at once makes him an attractive fantasy value and a challenge. In the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, he was too aggressive while battling for a spot on the cusp of the top 10. He slid up in front of Denny Hamlin, lost his forward drive, and was tipped into the inside retaining wall.
Outside the care center, Keselowski was asked if discretion might have been a better choice and he defiantly said he would not stop racing the same way that earned him a Chase berth. But, only one race remained in that round—and it was coming on the wild card Talladega SuperSpeedway. Kez had one win in the bank already from that track, but plate races are never predictable and when he blew an engine on lap 144, his fate was sealed.
As it turned out, Keselowski would score only one top-10 after crashing at Kansas. That was a second at Martinsville Speedway and it completed a sweep of the top five on that course. Of the 13 tracks that hosted two races in 2016, Keselowski swept the top 10 on five of them, but he had top-10s in less than two-thirds of his starts and in only 40 percent of the Chase races.
Keselowski also got off to a relatively slow start. Despite winning in race three, he had only four top-10s in the first nine weeks. His victory at ‘Dega kicked off one of two long streaks, but fantasy owners might wish to be a little patient before activating him in contests that limit allocations or in Daily Fantasy Sports. Once he posts back-to-back top-10s, jump on the bandwagon immediately and ride it until he falls outside the top 15 in consecutive events.
Victories: Las Vegas, Talladega (spring), Daytona (summer), Kentucky
Top-fives: 16 (.444)
Top-10s: 22 (.611)
Top-15s: 27 (.750)
+ Top-five sweeps
* Top-10 sweeps
Keselowski was the third driver to earn his Chase berth when he visited Victory Lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March’s Kobalt 400. He added another victory at Talladega SuperSpeedway in May, and posted consecutive wins at Daytona International Speedway and Kentucky Speedway during the summer. At that time, he looked like one of the favorites to win the Chase. In the span of nine races, he had three victories, six total top-fives, two more top-10s, and a worst result of 15th.
After posting two results in the mid-teens, Keselowski regained his momentum quickly and rattled off nine top-10s in his next 10 races. Most of these were top-fives and that streak carried him well into the Chase. During the playoffs, Keselowski showed a characteristic that at once makes him an attractive fantasy value and a challenge. In the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, he was too aggressive while battling for a spot on the cusp of the top 10. He slid up in front of Denny Hamlin, lost his forward drive, and was tipped into the inside retaining wall.
Outside the care center, Keselowski was asked if discretion might have been a better choice and he defiantly said he would not stop racing the same way that earned him a Chase berth. But, only one race remained in that round—and it was coming on the wild card Talladega SuperSpeedway. Kez had one win in the bank already from that track, but plate races are never predictable and when he blew an engine on lap 144, his fate was sealed.
As it turned out, Keselowski would score only one top-10 after crashing at Kansas. That was a second at Martinsville Speedway and it completed a sweep of the top five on that course. Of the 13 tracks that hosted two races in 2016, Keselowski swept the top 10 on five of them, but he had top-10s in less than two-thirds of his starts and in only 40 percent of the Chase races.
Keselowski also got off to a relatively slow start. Despite winning in race three, he had only four top-10s in the first nine weeks. His victory at ‘Dega kicked off one of two long streaks, but fantasy owners might wish to be a little patient before activating him in contests that limit allocations or in Daily Fantasy Sports. Once he posts back-to-back top-10s, jump on the bandwagon immediately and ride it until he falls outside the top 15 in consecutive events.
Victories: Las Vegas, Talladega (spring), Daytona (summer), Kentucky
Top-fives: 16 (.444)
Top-10s: 22 (.611)
Top-15s: 27 (.750)
|
Track
|
3-Yr
Avg. Fin |
Career
Avg. Fin |
Best
Fin |
Career
Attempts
|
Career
Top-10s |
Race 1
|
Race 2
|
|
Kentucky Speedway |
2.67
|
8.17
|
1
|
6
|
5
|
1
|
|
|
Las Vegas Motor Speedway |
3.00
|
16.75
|
1
|
8
|
4
|
1
|
|
|
Chicagoland Speedway |
4.67
|
9.63
|
1
|
8
|
6
|
5
|
|
|
Michigan International Speedway + |
5.50
|
12.33
|
2
|
15
|
8
|
4
|
3
|
|
New Hampshire Motor Speedway |
6.83
|
10.27
|
1
|
15
|
9
|
15
|
4
|
|
Dover Downs International * |
7.00
|
14.27
|
1
|
15
|
6
|
6
|
4
|
|
Richmond International Raceway |
7.50
|
15.07
|
1
|
15
|
6
|
11
|
4
|
|
Pocono Raceway + |
8.17
|
11.29
|
1
|
14
|
7
|
3
|
2
|
|
Charlotte Motor Speedway * |
9.00
|
13.40
|
1
|
15
|
7
|
5
|
7
|
|
Darlington Raceway |
9.33
|
12.13
|
2
|
8
|
4
|
9
|
|
|
Texas Motor Speedway |
9.50
|
16.24
|
2
|
17
|
6
|
18
|
14
|
|
Phoenix International Raceway |
10.86
|
14.60
|
3
|
15
|
7
|
29
|
14
|
|
Homestead - Miami Speedway Progressive |
11.75
|
15.89
|
3
|
9
|
3
|
35
|
|
|
Auto Club Speedway |
12.00
|
18.75
|
1
|
8
|
2
|
9
|
|
|
Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
13.00
|
13.86
|
9
|
7
|
3
|
17
|
|
|
Watkins Glen International |
15.00
|
10.14
|
2
|
7
|
5
|
3
|
|
|
Talladega SuperSpeedway |
17.33
|
15.38
|
1
|
16
|
9
|
1
|
38
|
|
Bristol Motor Speedway |
18.00
|
15.93
|
1
|
14
|
5
|
18
|
33
|
|
Martinsville Speedway + |
18.33
|
13.79
|
2
|
14
|
8
|
5
|
2
|
|
Sonoma Raceway |
18.67
|
19.14
|
10
|
7
|
1
|
15
|
|
|
Daytona International Speedway |
18.67
|
22.25
|
1
|
16
|
4
|
20
|
1
|
|
Kansas Speedway |
18.83
|
13.93
|
1
|
14
|
7
|
10
|
38
|
|
Atlanta Motor Speedway |
19.00
|
20.25
|
3
|
8
|
4
|
9
|
|
+ Top-five sweeps
* Top-10 sweeps
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