NASCAR Pocono 2014: Brad Keselowski laments decision: ‘I misjudged it’

With his engine temperature steadily climbing and Dale Earnhardt Jr. lurking, Brad Keselowski was facing a critical decision with five laps remaining Sunday: How could he maintain his lead while also clearing off the debris that was blocking the grille of his car?

Seeing the lapped machine of Danica Patrick ahead, Keselowski reasoned he would use the air off of Patrick’s No. 10 car to clean the nose of his Ford. If the move worked, Keselowski would win the Pocono 400 at Pocono Raceway.

It didn’t. When Keselowski pulled up behind Patrick it slowed his momentum, allowing Earnhardt to pass him for the lead and eventual win.

“I feel like this one is kind of on me and the circumstances,” Keselowski said. “I was trying to do something to help my car out and I knew it was going to break and I was going to get passed, so I was trying to make whatever move I could do to help clean it off, and I’m not sure I did enough to make a difference.

“But I made enough of a difference to lose the lead in the process. I thought I had enough of a cushion, and when I got down in the corner and the car in front of me got sideways, I realized I had made a mistake. But it was too little, too late.”

The debris never did make its way off of the No. 2 Ford, and Keselowski made it to the checkered flag without incident. So in hindsight, was it a poor decision to try using Patrick as a vacuum?

“I don’t know,” Keselowski said. “I think so, but it’s hard to say.

“It was definitely a mistake because the engine made it, but it probably shouldn’t have. I thought I was going to get passed because I was really down on power down the straightaway.”

Keselowski was dominant Sunday, leading a race-high 95 laps. Without the debris and the chain of events which followed, it would have him celebrating his second win of 2014 and not Earnhardt, who thought Keselowski had the better car.

“That is unfortunate for him,” Earnhardt said. “He had me beat. I couldn’t get to him. But I have lost some in some strange ways so it feels good to win one like that.

“Brad definitely had the better car -- I am definitely owning up to that.”

As it was, a dejected Keselowski settled for second, a result somewhat hollow due to a format where regular season wins carry more significance than years past, as wins are now the primary determination to set the Chase for the Sprint Cup field.

Keselowski passed Earnhardt on the final lap to win earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I ran it like I would have ran it no matter what,” Keselowski said. “(The engine) was going to break and I thought I had a shot to clean it off and not lose time. I misjudged it.”