Brad K starts his career in the Hendrick #25 (2008-09)
Join me throughout this year as I take a look at when some of the sport’s biggest stars drove some unusual cars! (Presented in no particular order).
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| Courtesy NBC Sports |
Why? Plucked from relative obscurity (beyond his family’s ARCA and Trucks experience) by JR Motorsports, Brad Keselowski was tabbed as Hendrick Motorsports’ “next big thing”, ready to take over from an aging Mark Martin in the #5 Cup car. And while Keselowski was far-better known for his exploits in the 09 Phoenix Racing car, he also ran a handful of races in HMS’s #25 R&D car in 2008 and 2009.
How successful were they? Keselowski and the 25 crew struggled mightily, as “Bad Brad” tended to run much better in the Phoenix Racing car. His best finish in the #25 was a seventh at Darlington in 2009.
What was the aftermath? After Mark Martin re-signed with Hendrick, Keselowski accepted an offer to race for Team Penske. He would go on to win numerous races and a Cup championship before leaving to help rebuild RFK Racing as a driver-owner.
Ranking on the Strange-O-Meter? 1 slightly-too-intense post-race interview out of 10—this was just Brad getting his feet wet in Cup.
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