Brad Keselowski is in for a dogfight at Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400, the final race before the Chase starts. After blowing past his fellow qualifiers by more than .5 mph, he will have to ward off Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and teammate Joey Logano if he hopes to get the checkered flag and the Chase bonus that goes along with it.
If he is able to do so, he’ll break a five-way tie between himself, Logano, Gordon, Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. — who qualified 24th — for the top seed before the start of the Chase. The 2012 Sprint Cup champion is confident he’ll be able to accomplish exactly that.
“I feel like we have a really strong shot at winning this weekend, so I’m very, very excited,” he told the Associated Press. “Everybody says they’re excited, but when you are sitting on the pole, and fastest in practice, you have good reason to be excited.”
Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway coverage (all times Eastern):
TV: ABC — 7 p.m.
Green flag: Approximately 7:46 p.m.
Online: NASCAR.com RaceView (subscription required)
Radio: Motor Racing Network — Sirius-XM channel 90
Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway starting grid