NASCAR Talladega 2014 recap: Brad Keselowski defies critics, wins Talladega, advances in the Chase

Experiencing a hellacious week where his rivals attacked him physically and criticized him publicly, Brad Keselowski responded the best way he knew how.

Using a heavy right foot and a go-for-broke style, Keselowski drove to an inspired victory Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. The win reignites championship hopes that were on the cusp of being extinguished and keeps Keselowski alive in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

“I can’t believe it,” Keselowski said in Victory Lane. “Talladega is such a wild card and to be able to win here you have to catch breaks and make your own breaks, a little of both. I can’t believe we won at Talladega.”

Despite season long excellence that carried over into the first round of the Chase, Keselowski became immersed in a Round 2 slump, which threatened to bounce him right out of the playoffs. His frustration on the track was only surpassed by the aggravation off it.

A week ago at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Keselowski’s hard-charging ways riled the normally affable Matt Kenseth, who jumped Keselowski from behind in the garage. Denny Hamlin, Kenseth’s teammate, also had a beef with Keselowski and attempted to confront him, only to be restrained by crew members.

The tumultuous incidents placed Keselowski, who was fined $50,000 by NASCAR, under a microscope heading into Talladega, a race he needed to win to stave off Chase elimination. Talk throughout the weekend centered on whether Keselowski was respected by fellow drivers and would have any friends in a race where having a drafting partner is critical.

Both questions proved moot Sunday. Keselowski’s talent level demands respect even if his outspoken nature sometimes works against him. As for whether he would have anyone to assist him, Keselowski found the unlikeliest of drafting partners: Kenseth.

It was Kenseth’s No. 20 car that pushed Keselowski into the lead on the final lap and ultimately to victory. Needing a good result himself to avoid elimination, Kenseth had little choice but to aid the man he placed in a headlock just a week before.

“That’s just competition,” said third-place finisher Clint Bowyer. “Matt needed to push (Keselowski) to get his best position and get himself in an overall shot to win the race. It doesn’t matter if it’s your worst enemy out there or your best friend, your closest friend, as far as racers go, you’ve got to use ‘em.”

The opportunistic friendship between Keselowski and Kenseth might be short-lived. Talladega is not the place to settle old scores -- certainly not with the threat of elimination hanging over both.

Sunday doesn’t change the fact that Keselowski is not the most popular guy in the garage and may have some retribution coming his way, perhaps as soon as next weekend at Martinsville Speedway, a short track where drivers are never reluctant to use their fenders to root someone out of the way. But whatever animosity Keselowski may have amongst his peers, it’s trumped by the unwavering support he has within Team Penske.

Rarely outspoken himself and with a preference for drivers who skirt controversy, car owner Roger Penske offered a strong defense of Keselowski following the Geico 500. Penske contended many of Keselowski’s troubles stem entirely from something besides his brash nature.

“These guys are jealous of the job he’s done this year,” Penske said. “He’s won six races. He’s been up front. Nobody likes to see a guy win like that. The fact that he has a little edge on him, he’s continually delivering, obviously I think makes a difference.

“Look, I like him. He’s a great driver. We have a long-term relationship with him. If he wants to get a little upset sometimes, that’s okay with me. We’ll let NASCAR figure out if he’s over the line or not. I guess it cost us 50 grand. I’ll take 50 grand and the win this week, wouldn’t you?”

The legendary car owner may have a point. Eight of the past nine championships have been won by either Jimmie Johnson or Tony Stewart -- the only driver to break that stranglehold was Keselowski in 2012.

Continued success often breeds contempt and Keselowski’s accomplishments are undeniable.

Since 2010, Keselowski owns 15 victories in addition to a hard-fought championship where he went toe-to-toe with Johnson and prevailed, something Kenseth (twice) and Hamlin each failed to do when presented opportunities.

And with Keselowski possibly on the cusp of a second title (Talladega was his series-best sixth victory of 2014) that envy can be expected to increase. If you can’t beat someone on the track, why not just pick them apart off the track?

“I came into this sport, my first win was 2009, first full season 2010,” Keselowski said. “Besides my teammate Joey Logano, what other drivers came from that era and are successful? There isn’t one. There’s not one that came through those four or five years. That’s for good reason. They’ve been ran out of the sport. I’m not going to let that happen.

“That means sometimes there’s going to be some uncomfortable moments. Certainly there were some uncomfortable moments this week. There’s been some uncomfortable moments in the past. I hope there’s not any more uncomfortable moments in the future, but there probably will be.”

In the prime of his career, there’s no reason to think Keselowski will cease winning races and championships anytime soon, which means controversy will inevitably follow. But if the formula works, why change?