For Keselowski, the one adverse lasting impact from the race – which was unexpectedly dominated by tire put on and tire administration technique – was smoldering stays of tire burning on his No. 6 Ford when the race ended.
Like many, Keselowski was pushing his tires to the restrict on the ultimate roughly 50-lap run after a spherical of inexperienced flag pit stops. He managed to stay one of many 5 vehicles on the lead lap and captured a season’s finest third place end.
“We simply type of ran high 5 just about the entire race and stored them sincere. I acquired bumped into on a type of pit warning cycles. That did a bit of injury to the entrance finish, in any other case I feel I may have had a shot to win it right this moment, however nonetheless strong to come back house third,” Keselowski stated.
Corded Goodyear tires after a number of laps
Photograph by: Lesley Ann Miller / Motorsport Photographs
“It was an attention-grabbing day. There was numerous self-discipline required and it was a enjoyable race, to be sincere, since you simply needed to be so sensible behind the wheel.
“It will chunk you in a heartbeat and also you needed to have a very good set-up. I feel we had a very good set-up and tried to run the neatest race I may.”
Sunday’s race turned out to be a totally completely different affair with tires than final fall. Though Goodyear introduced the identical tire mixture to this race, the tire fall-off laid no rubber on the monitor, which resulted in unusually extreme tire put on.
Halfway via the race, NASCAR allowed Goodyear to offer groups with one extra set of tires however with many groups solely in a position to go between 47-50 laps earlier than growing issues, that huge modifications to the tempo of the race and pit technique.
Veterans rising to the highest
That recipe tended to favor the game’s most veteran drivers, who not coincidently, completed 1-2-3 with Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. forward of Keselowski.
“It’s laborious. I simply want the entire race would have been like the tip the place we simply ran and we didn’t throw yellows as a result of we have been in a extremely great place for that, however, both manner, we had a very good automotive.
“We ran actually strong and got here away with an excellent end and a ton of factors. It’s the type of weekend the place we really feel like we are able to come again right here within the fall and win.”
Keselowski stated it had been fairly a while since he remembered tire dialog taking part in as huge a job in a race because it did on Sunday.
Requested if he want to see extra races like that, he stated, “I assumed it was enjoyable. It’s completely different. Selection is the spice of life.”
