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Brad Keselowski - Stater Bros. 300 Preview


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KESELOWSKI RETURNS TO CALIFORNIA – Brad Keselowski will return to California Speedway in the No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo this weekend for the first time since his fiery crash at the track last September in the Camping World 300. He is scheduled to compete in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Stater Bros. 300.

KESELOWSKI AT CALIFORNIA – Saturday’s race will mark Keselowski’s fourth series start at California Speedway. His best finish in Nationwide Series competition at the track is 32nd (Feb 2007). In addition to his Nationwide experience at the two-mile track, Keselowski has two previous NASCAR Truck Series starts at California Speedway. In 2006 he finished 16th.

FIRST AT FONTANA – Keselowski made his Nationwide Series debut at California Speedway in the fall of 2006. Since then he’s made a total of 35 starts in the series and scored five top-10 finishes.

KESELOWSKI TO FLY WITH BLUE ANGELS – After competing in Saturday’s race, Keselowski will travel to El Centro, Calif., to fly with the Navy’s Blue Angels on Monday, Feb. 25.

SPECIAL VISOR – In honor of his flight with the Blue Angels, Keselowski will wear a gold visor this weekend at California Speedway and next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Navy’s Blue Angels wear gold visors on their helmets.

NAVY TEAM AT CALIFORNIA – The JR Motorsports No. 88 U.S. Navy team has four starts at California Speedway. The team scored their best finish, ninth, in the fall of 2006 with Robby Gordon at the wheel.

CHASSIS NO. 356 – The No. 88 U.S. Navy team will run Chassis No. 356 in Saturday’s Stater Bros. 300. In 2007 this car was driven by three drivers, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears and Mark Martin, in a total of eight Nationwide Series events. In those eight races, it scored one win (Kansas), one pole award, five top fives and six top-10 finishes.

MSRON 5 TO JOIN JRM AT FONTANA – Sailors from Maritime Expeditionary Squadron FIVE (MSRON 5) will join the JR Motorsports No. 88 Navy team for Saturday’s race at California Speedway. MSRON 5 was commissioned in Imperial Beach, Calif., in 2006 and completed her maiden Middle East deployment in Nov. 2007. Based out of Kuwait Naval Base, MSRON 5 sailors provided force security for the deployment and redeployment of two Marine Expeditionary Units bound for Iraq, more than 400 escorts for the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Army vessels, and escort and security for more than 80 vessels designated as High Value Assets by the U.S. Army.

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BRAD KESELOWSKI (on returning to California) – “I’m ready to go back to California and have a better finish than we did last year. That was a really crazy ride! I still get a lot of comments from fans about how scary the wreck looked when I have autograph sessions and appearances. It may have looked really bad, but thanks to the safety measures my team, NASCAR and the track had in place, I was able to walk away with only a bruise on my leg.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI (on flying with the Blue Angels) – “I’ve always thought the Blue Angels are an awesome group of pilots. It’s really cool that I get to fly with them now through our partnership with the Navy. ”

CMDSC GEORGE LACEFIELD (on attending Saturday’s race as one of the fleet honorees) – “Some of our time during our tour to the Middle East was spent thinking of the many special events going on back home. To come home and be honored at one of these events is very humbling and very awesome at the same time. If I wasn’t already a NASCAR fan, I certainly would be now.”

CMDR STEVEN GLOVER (MSRON 5 commanding officer on MSRON 5 and the Navy) – “I’m just glad we can represent the fighting spirit of today’s Navy and we were glad to do our part to ensure the Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen and Marines that were in harm’s way last summer had the equipment and supplies necessary to be successful in our efforts to bring democracy and stability to Iraq. These young Sailors represent everything that is right with America. If you are looking for a challenge and a great opportunity to grow and lead the finest America has to offer, then the Navy is where you should be.”