Brad Keselowski and his Penske Racing/Miller Lite Blue Deuce team celebrated their 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in style last night at Homestead Miami Speedway. Keselowski wasted little time proving that he will be a different kind of Sprint Cup Series champion, taking long draughts from a massive glass of his sponsor's product during trophy presentations with NASCAR CEO Brian France, and admitting to having “a buzz going” in an ESPN SportsCenter interview about an hour after the drop of the checkered flag. “I’ve been drinking for a little bit," he laughed. "This has been one hell of a day. I’ve got one hell of a team, and it doesn't get any better than this."
The 28-year old Rochester Hills, MI, native became the first driver from the state of Michigan to win the Sprint Cup Series championship, and the 29th different champion in the series’ 64th season. He is just the sixth driver to win the championship within his first three seasons of full-time competition, and only third in NASCAR’s modern-era (1972-2012).
He joins Bobby Labonte as the second driver to win championships in both the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series, and he and crew chief Paul Wolfe are now the only driver-crew chief combination to win titles in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup ranks. Keselowski became only the second driver to claim the title in car No. 2, joining the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr., who won in 1980 driving for Rod Osterlund.
Photos: Getty Images for NASCAR
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