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Motorsports Venues - Michigan's Own Keselowski Wins At Kansas


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Kansas City, June 5, 2011: With two laps to go, Brad Keselowski didn’t even know he was in the lead.

The Rochester Hills native held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway, picking up his first win of the year.

Keselowski led the final nine laps of the 267-lap STP 400, conserving just enough fuel to hold off Earnhardt and snap a 75-race winless streak. He said he didn't realize he was leading the race until he looked at the track's leaderboard and saw his car number at the top.

“It’s been a little while. But we’ve been so close lately – we really have,” Keselowski said. “It’s because of the hard work; it’s because of the bad finishes and the struggle it’s been to get here that I really appreciate this win and I really appreciate what this means.”

Earnhardt’s second-place finish was his second in a row. He has been very consistent the past several weeks, climbing to third in the points standings. His last win was at Michigan International Speedway in June 2008, 106 races ago.

That consistent consistency is what is giving Earnhardt confidence for that win, which could come at MIS in two weeks during the Father’s Day Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 on June 19.

“We shouldn’t have run second today,” Earnhardt said. “We’ve got a fast car, so we can be fast.”

Denny Hamlin was third at Kansas, followed by Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards.

Polesitter Kurt Busch led for 152 laps Sunday and finished ninth. He had to stop for gas as the leader with just 10 laps remaining, surrendering the lead to his Keselowski, his Penske Racing teammate.

Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is the Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the love of racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike.