In an Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 finish that had multiple cautions in the final laps, a near-photo finish behind winner Chase Elliott caused some brief consternation for driver Brad Keselowski.
Keselowski appeared to nudge out William Byron for second place, but it was extremely close.
And when the dust was settling on the track, NASCAR initially had Keselowski P3 and Byron P2. That was a position NASCAR would later swap after checking the replay footage from the finish.
Keselowski was a touch heated at first, though.
“Brad Keselowski brings it home third and, Brad, best finish at Texas since 2015,” said FOX reporter Jamie Little after the race. “You weren’t very optimistic coming into this one, how did you overcome and get this great finish today?”
Keselowski quickly stopped Little in her tracks.
“Well I’m not sure we finished third,” the driver said. “I’ve got to see the replay from NASCAR on that first before I’m going to concede that.”
Sure enough, Keselowski was proven right and he did indeed finish in second, earning 40 Cup points as a result. Keselowski never did manage to lead a lap in the race, but he also didn’t fall victim to the trap many other drivers did. There were four second-place wrecks on the afternoon, and Keselowski managed to avoid one himself.
Brad Keselowski bemoans lack of speed
The No. 6 car just didn’t seem to have quite as much juice as some of its other competitors on the track, which ultimately makes the Keselowski finish even more impressive.
Still, Keselowski came away a bit frustrated by the day’s events.
“We didn’t have a ton of speed. Honestly, I’m more frustrated than anything, because I feel like we have a great team and we don’t have the speed to go with it,” Keselowski said. “And we’re doing all we can do to overcome that.
“The driver in me is frustrated because I feel like these are races I’m good enough to win and we don’t have the speed to do it. The owner in me is mad as hell because it’s my fault for not making the cars faster. But still proud of the team that we have, the pit stops and the strategy and the execution to put ourselves in position to get a finish we probably didn’t deserve but earned with kind of some never-give-up spirit.”
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