Brad Keselowski overcomes early adversity, rallies to finish 2nd

First, Brad Keselowski was part of a chain-reaction incident on the initial lap of the Auto Club 400. Then, just five laps later, more trouble struck after contact with Ty Dillon sent Keselowski spinning.

It was about as auspicious a start a driver could have Sunday at Auto Club Speedway. And yet, Keselowski somehow rallied to finish second behind winner Kyle Larson.

“We were tore all to hell,” Keselowski said. “Went all the way to back, just clawed all the way up to second.”

After qualifying third, and on a track where he’s won previously, Keselowski was expected to be a contender in the fifth Monster Energy Cup Series race of the season. But that promise took a hit -- literally -- when second-place qualifier Denny Hamlin was slow to get up to speed on the start, triggering an accident where Keselowski rear-ended Hamlin and Ryan Newman rear-ended Keselowski.

Because of that damage sustained, Keselowski began sliding backward, which made him vulnerable to those who were trying to move forward. One of those drivers was rookie Ty Dillon, who slid into Keselowski, causing Keselowski’s No. 2 to go for a slide off Turn 4 and through the frontstretch infield.

“Obviously, we got hit on the start; did a lot of damage to the car,” Keselowski said. “We were free falling through the field. Then I got hit again. So the car was all tore up.”

The damage was repairable, however. And surprisingly, by race end, Keselowski had rallied to find himself in contention where on a two-lap overtime restart he was lined up third behind Larson and Martin Truex Jr.

Larson, who led a race-high 110 laps, would quickly pull away to take the win. But Keselowski did pass Truex to finish a somewhat improbable second in a race that appeared over before it ever really began.

“That’s the way it goes sometimes when you have a 36‑race season,” Keselowski said. “You’re going to have some adversity and days that don’t go your way. That’s the way it was for us today.

“The left-rear quarter panel on the car is destroyed. The fenders and quarter panels are critical to the car’s performance. We made the most of it.”

And how Keselowski’s afternoon started compared to how it ended didn’t go unnoticed by those who witnessed it firsthand.

“The two car, I went by him the first run, I just knew his day was over,” third-place finisher Clint Bowyer said. “I’ll be damned if he didn’t finish in front of me. How did he do that? Did you see that?”