2012 Review:
2012 was a banner year for Brad Keselowski, who solidified himself among NASCAR's elite by becoming the 29th different Sprint Cup Series champion.
His season began slowly, with two finishes of 32nd within the first three events if the year. Despite winning the fourth and tenth races of the season — at Bristol and Talladega respectively —Keselowski would not enter the top ten in points standings until June 10th.
From there, however, he would assert himself as a major title threat, winning three more races and finishing off the season by scoring 17 of his career-high 23 top-ten finishes in his final 20 starts of the year.
Despite a pedestrian 15th place result in the season finale at Homestead, Keselowski was able to clinch his first career Sprint Cup Series title by 39 points over Clint Bowyer.
2013 Preview:
In just his third full year at Penske Racing, and his second working with crew Paul Wolfe and the No.2 team, Keselowski has not only reached the pinnacle of the sport, he has proven he can win be competitive on any type of race track.
He won races on the high banked half-mile at Bristol, the restrictor-plate dependent superspeedway at Talladega, 1.5 mile "cookie-cutters" at Kentucky and Chicago, and the mile-long Dover International Speedway.
He also finished second at Watkins Glen, a 2.45 mile road course, after a thrilling last lap battle with Marcos Ambrose and Kyle Busch. This versatility as a driver makes him a potential threat to win every weekend, therefore giving him a legitimate shot to defend his title.
One major change that Penske Racing, and therefore Keselowski will have to deal with is the organization's change in manufacturers. After ten years racing Dodges, Penske is switching over to Fords for 2013.
Along with various changes that come along with switching manufacturer, they will also no longer be building their own engines in house, instead leasing Roush/Yates engines.
2013: Prediction
Brad Keselowski, Paul Wolfe and Penske Racing sent Dodge out with a bang last season by winning the manufacturer's first driver championship since 1975. Now they hope to defend that title with Ford.
It will be interesting to see how well the organization adjusts. Ford's engine program is considered among the finest in the sport, so Penske Racing should reap the benefits.
All of that said, winning a championship is among the most difficult things to do in sports. Defending that title is even tougher.
A driver the caliber of Keselowski will certainly be up to the task, but not everyone can repeat (and repeat, and repeat, and....) the way Jimmie Johnson had for much of the last decade.
He definitely won't be out of the title mix, by any means. But don't expect him to catch that lightning-in-a-bottle that is so necessary to make a run in the Chase this time around.
J-Mac's 2013 Top 12 So Far:
4. Brad Keselowski
5. Jimmie Johnson
6. Clint Bowyer
7. Jeff Gordon
8. Tony Stewart
9. Denny Hamlin
10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
11. Greg Biffle
12. Carl Edwards
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