2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season gets underway at Charlotte

Brad Keselowski drives the #2 Miller Lite Ford during testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on December 11, 2012 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Brad Keselowski drives the #2 Miller Lite Ford during testing at Charlotte Motor Speedway on December 11, 2012 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR)

One of the longest seasons in professional sports continued Tuesday as several NASCAR Sprint Cup teams took to the 1.5 mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. Teams spent the first of two days testing NASCAR’s next generation of racecar, dubbed ‘Generation 6’ that will debut in 2013.

The test comes only days after the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion was officially crowned and was led by that champion Brad Keselowski. Keselowski tested the Ford he will defend his title with starting with the season opening Daytona 500 in February. The Penske Racing team abandoned the Dodge brand in favor of the Fords for 2013. Dodge meanwhile will not be part of the series in 2012.

Tuesday Keselowski was one of the first drivers to hit the track.

“It’s hard to get a great read on the whole manufacturer change because, obviously, it’s a different car,” he said. “But I think all the signs are there that we have the potential to be just as strong, if not stronger, than we were last year, which is very, very encouraging. We still have to work for it and make it happen, but the signs are there.” MORE>>>

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.