Defending NASCAR champion Keselowski in danger of missing Chase

BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 24: Crew members work on the #2 Miller Lite Ford of Brad Keselowski in the garage after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 53rd Annual IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24, 2013 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, TN - AUGUST 24:  Crew members work on the #2 Miller Lite Ford of Brad Keselowski in the garage after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 53rd Annual IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24, 2013 in Bristol, Tennessee.  (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, TN – AUGUST 24: Crew members work on the #2 Miller Lite Ford of Brad Keselowski in the garage after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 53rd Annual IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 24, 2013 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)

Brad Keselowski’s hopes to defend his NASCAR Sprint Cup title are in serious peril after a disastrous outing at Bristol Motor Speedway Saturday night.

After starting 12th, Keselowski who scored back to back wins at Bristol in 2011-2012, was able to move into the top 10 but only briefly. He faded but was running inside the top 20. Then on lap 446 any hopes Keselowski had for a decent finish went up in a cloud of smoke and sparks as his Ford was caught up in a multi-car crash set off when Denny Hamlin lost a right front tire and slammed into the outside wall.  The ensuing melee swept up a total of seven cars including Keselowski.

Keselowski was able to make it to the pits and the crew made repairs and got him back out. At the end of the night, Keselowski was scored in 30th place, the exact same spot he finished in this race last season. Worse for Keselowski he fell outside the top ten in points and leaves Bristol 11th in the standings. With no wins to date this season, Keselowski is currently not even eligible for a wild card spot. That currently belongs to either Martin Truex Jr. or Ryan Newman both of whom are outside the top ten, but who have one win each. 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.