BRISTOL, Tenn. Brad Keselowski has fielded 143 entries in the NASCAR Truck Series since 2008 for 12 drivers, including himself.
His organization has two wins, both by Ryan Blaney.
On Thursday morning, the owner finally made it to Victory Lane himself in the series, winning the rain-delayed UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
With the victory, Keselowski becomes the 25th driver to win at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s national series – Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Trucks.
Keselowski was dominant, leading 119 of the 200 laps but had to work hard to hold off Darrell Wallace Jr. in the final laps.
“It was such a great battle. I knew we had a shot to win from Lap 1; it was just going to be a matter of putting it all together,” said Keselowski, who had finished second five times in the series before his win.
“I was running really well on the bottom (groove) but as the race went on, the groove moved up to the top and it was no longer as good of an advantage. Then, it was about trying not to make a mistake.”
Keselowski, who has won championships in the Cup and Nationwide series, joins his father, Bob, as the only father-son and son duo to earn victories in the Truck series.
Bob Keselowski’s lone victory in the series came in the 1997 season at Richmond, Va.
“It’s a big day personally and professionally,” Keselowski said. “There is my family’s commitment to this series for a long time and the opportunity they gave me. It was a tough road.”
Ron Hornaday finished third, Matt Crafton was fourth and Johnny Sauter fifth. Sauter leads the series standings, and holds an eight-point advantage over his ThorSport Racing teammate, Crafton.
Kyle Busch started from the pole and led three times for 81 laps but was forced to pit road late in the race after he hit the wall with a flat tire.