Brad Keselowski Comments on NASCAR Meeting re: Incident with Carl Edwards

(Photo by Brandon W. Mudd)

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Charger) Qualified 1st

“It was s a good qualifying effort. We have a great race car here. Our Nationwide cars are exceptionally strong. We’ve had a bad-fast Discount Tire Dodge here at Bristol since we’ve unloaded. Paul (Wolfe, crew chief) and the guys have given me a great race car and it’s really fun to drive. It just powers through the corners and picks up the throttle really fast down the straightaways. We’ve got some momentum here and it really feels good.”

THIS IS YOUR THIRD CAREER POLE AT BRISTOL. WHAT MAKES YOU SO GOOD HERE IN QUALIFYING?

“Bristol is just one of the places that comes naturally to me and I’ve been fortunate to have good cars. Sometimes tracks just come to you and Bristol is one of those tracks. Having a fast car always makes the driver look good. I’ve been lucky to feel good inside a fast car and that’s the key.”

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE MEETING WITH NASCAR THIS MORNING?

“I don’t know how Carl feels about it, but I don’t think it’s cool to say everything that was said in there. Hopefully, it will be productive to where we can move forward and continue to race each other hard and not have any more incidents like we had at Atlanta.”

“We hadn’t talked before. I wouldn’t say there was anything said that surprised me. You have to understand, Carl and I have a mutual respect for each other in a sense we’re almost the same people. We come from similar backgrounds. We drive the same way. I have a lot of respect for him before and after the accident. Hopefully, that will stay the same.”

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE WAY YOU WILL BE RACING?

“Carl and I have talked before about leaving each other more room, but it seems like when it came down to it, it just never worked out. It’s racing. The biggest thing to me, you know, is incidents are going to happen because we race against each other more than 60 times. We’re going to run by (beside) each other. We just each have to build up a tolerance for that.”

WHAT ROLE DID JACK ROUSH AND ROGER PENSKE HAVE IN THE MEETING?

“Jack and Roger are two different people for sure, but they are both extremely supportive of us. Carl and I both put a lot of emphasis and trust into our car owners, where we listen to them and talk to them. I think we both see the same things in them. They’re kind of mentors to us.”

WAS IT DIFFICULT TO STEP INTO THE CAR (TO QUALIFY) AFTER THE MEETING?

“If you’re going to be successful in this sport, it’s really important to separate your emotions from trying to get the job done. I feel good that I was able to do that.”

DALE EARNHARDT JR. HAS BEEN QUOTES AT SAYING YOU HAVE A TON OF TALENT, NO CONFIDENCE. WHAT’S YOUR REPSONSE?

“To me, confidence means that you’ve proved yourself. I don’t ever feel like I’ve proved myself. I always feel like every time I get in the race car is a new opportunity to prove myself and, not only that, that I’ve reset from whatever past accomplishments I have that they mean absolutely nothing. So, if that means lack of confidence, then yes, by that definition, yes.”