Auto Racing Capsules: Keselowski vows not to change after Edwards crash

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Glued to Carl Edwards’ bumper as they raced for the lead around Talladega Superspeedway, young Brad Keselowski showed no signs of letting off the gas pedal. He peeked high, and Edwards cut him off, then ducked low to try to pass.

Edwards, the veteran, quickly swerved down to block the pass, a move that guaranteed disaster if Keselowski didn’t back off. In the blink of an eye, Keselowski found himself in high-stakes game of chicken at speeds approaching 200 mph.

The rookie refused to blink. He didn’t give an inch. Nothing slowed Keselowski that day last April, not even after the inevitable contact sent Edwards’ car sailing into the safety fence in a frightening accident that injured seven fans.

Keselowski just barreled on, stealing an improbable victory in just his fifth career start in NASCAR’s prestigious Sprint Cup Series.

Looking back now at those intense two minutes, Keselowski was clearly sending a message to his established, experienced competitors: he won’t back down to anyone. That mentality has rankled a long list of top-name drivers, and finally came to the fore last weekend in Atlanta when Edwards, exasperated over a long list of hard racing between the two, intentionally wrecked Keselowski in contact that sent Keselowski airborne in a scene quite similar to the one in Talladega.

For all the public outrage over Edwards’ deliberate act, there was an equal amount of private sentiment that Keselowski had it coming. Keselowski is well aware of the whispers, but remains unapologetic for anything he’s done that’s gotten him to his prime-time Cup ride with auto racing icon Roger Penske.

"It’s not possible to get a Cup ride right now without being aggressive, and without having some swagger in your step," Keselowski said. "Does that make you a jerk? To some people, yes. To some people, no. It depends on where you’re coming from. If you look at the sport right now, there are no new drivers coming in.

"So whatever I’m doing is working, and it’s gotten me to where I’m at."

The son of 1989 ARCA champion Bob Keselowski grew up in Rochester Hills, Mich., and entered NASCAR Truck races from 2004 through 2006 with his father’s backing. He picked up a couple Nationwide Series starts for an underfunded team in 2006 and early 2007, before his big break came midway through that season when Dale Earnhardt Jr. plucked him from obscurity to drive his flagship No. 88 for JR Motorsports.

That, says three-time NASCAR champion Darrell Waltrip, was the game-changer for Keselowski.

"Driving for Dale Jr. gave him privileges that he wouldn’t have had if had driven for someone else," Waltrip said. "That Earnhardt connection allowed him to become ‘Bad Brad.’ Those few years gave him time to create this character that he’s Bad Brad. Well, if you are Bad Brad, you are going to make some people mad."

Finally in good equipment, Keselowski bulldozed his way to six Nationwide wins over two-plus seasons with a hard-driving style that impressed car owners but annoyed rival competitors.

"He’s very openly outspoken and cocky about what his intentions are," said Fox analyst Larry McReynolds. "He has no problem racing people hard, and if they don’t like it, then they are going to have a problem. The thing to remember, though, is most of these drivers are complaining about Brad racing them hard. You’ve got to be kidding me! You are supposed to be racing hard.

"The greats — Dale Earnhardt, Pearson, Petty, Allison — those sons of a guns ran hard from the green flag to the checkered flag and that’s exactly what Brad is doing."

Those running bumper-to-bumper with him each week disagree. There’s a finesse required in racing, a certain give-and-take that earns you both respect and the on-track friends a driver needs to be successful.

Keselowski, most believe, doesn’t have it. At least not when it comes to racing against Cup drivers.

He did it full time for two years in the Nationwide Series, refusing to back down when the likes of Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Edwards and Clint Bowyer moonlighted in that series and stole the headlines from the guys like Keselowski who were just trying to get noticed.

Hamlin became the first driver to publicly vow to retaliate. At wits end late last season after a monthslong feud with Keselowski over his driving style, Hamlin promised payback in the Nationwide Series finale. He made good on his word with an early spin at Homestead, and received a standing ovation from crews along pit road when he passed by to serve a rough driving penalty.

Behind the scenes, drivers figured Keselowski would see more and more of that retaliation this season as he moved into a full-time Cup ride with Penske.

Jeff Burton, one of the most respected and cleanest drivers in the garage, understands the disdain for Keselowski’s tactics.

"Brad has got to learn that he doesn’t need to prove to the world that he’s a tough guy," Burton said this week. "He’s made the decision that he’s not going to cut anybody any slack. He’s made the decision that he’s going to race aggressively all the time. Those are the decisions he’s made, and he’s going to have to live with the consequences of that.

"There’ nothing wrong with giving a little bit, and there’s nothing wrong with taking a little bit. But if you’re going to only take, then you’re going to come out of the short end of the stick more times than not."

And that’s where Keselowski currently finds himself. Cup drivers aren’t cutting him any slack, and his transition to the big leagues hasn’t been all that smooth. He heads into next weekend’s race at Bristol ranked 33rd in the standings and in serious danger of falling below the important top-35 mark that guarantees him a spot in the field.

Although his ardent fan base — inherited largely by driving for Earnhardt — insists he’s gotten a bad rap and hold him up as an example of the closest thing to their former idols: a hard-nosed racer who doesn’t care what anyone thinks about him.

Waltrip, who made his share of enemies during a 29-year career, isn’t sure how long that’s going to work for Keselowski.

"He’s said, ‘I don’t care what the other competitors think about me,’ and he’s going to learn that puts you out on an island," Waltrip said. "You can’t survive in this sport out on an island. People will get tired of you and your attitude and they will turn you over. They will turn you over every week."

For his part, Keselowski says to bring it on, even after his upside-down tumble courtesy of Edwards.

It doesn’t matter what anyone does to him, he said, he’s not planning to change a thing.

"That’s probably the best revenge there is — to not let it get to me one bit, to not change," Keselowski said. "That’s a sign to (Edwards) and everyone else that that’s not going to work on me.

"I feel lucky to be in race cars that are as safe as they are, to be able to be here talking today and to be able to say, ‘Hey, I’ll take the lick and I’ll get out of the car and come back the next race weekend and drive just as hard,’ just to prove a point that I wasn’t wrong and I still don’t feel like I’m wrong."

IndyCar

IndyCar qualifying postponed until Sunday

SAO PAULO — Qualifying for the IndyCar season-opener on the streets of Sao Paulo was postponed Saturday because the main straight lacked enough grip to make racing safe.

Drivers ran practice sessions on Saturday, giving officials time to try to improve track conditions overnight. Qualifying was rescheduled for Sunday morning ahead of the race.

Drivers complained that the temporary circuit for the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 has severe bumps and was dangerous on the slick front straightaway.

The straight goes through a Sambadrome, a stadium-like venue that stretches for about a third of a mile and is the only part of the track with concrete instead of asphalt. It is where the traditional Carnival parades take place every year.

"It’s really slippery over there and it’s hard to control the car," three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves said. "They need to try to fix that somehow."

The straightaway is where Sunday’s 75-lap race is scheduled to start.

Scott Dixon of New Zealand led both practice sessions, turning the quickest lap in 1 minute, 31.7707 seconds on the 2.6-mile, 11-turn Anhembi circuit.

Australian Ryan Briscoe had the second-fastest time with a 1:31.9731, followed by Tony Kanaan’s 1:31.9753 in front of his home crowd.

The fastest times of the day came in the first session because of colder temperatures. Dixon, Briscoe and Kanaan also led the time chart in the second session, when the heat made track conditions worse.

Drivers began complaining as soon as the first cars went out on the track for the first practice, which officially opened the newly built circuit.

In addition to the bumps, the front straight was so slippery that drivers couldn’t fully accelerate without losing control.

Milka Duno of Venezuela crashed there in the morning session, and Briscoe and Brazilian rookie Ana Beatriz lost control there in the afternoon.

Kanaan said the slick straight and the bumps were making the track dangerous and urged officials to make adjustments ahead of Sunday’s race.

"My main concern is safety," the Brazilian said.

Defending series champion Dario Franchitti, who briefly ran off the track in the first session, strongly complained of the bumps.

"We knew it was going to be bumpy," he said. "But this is kind of crazy."

Franchitti, Dixon’s teammate at the Target Chip Ganassi team, was 17th in the first session with a time of 1:33.8457 and 11th in the afternoon practice with a slower time.

Castroneves had the eighth fastest time with a lap of 1:32.9402, while American Danica Patrick clocked 1:34.7795 and failed to get past 22th place. She spun in the second session.

The straightaway, which also bumps, is the series’ longest ever at just short of a mile and allows cars to reach nearly 190 mph.

Organizers had about three months to set up the track following the announcement that the IndyCar Series would be coming to Brazil for the first time since the CART series raced in the Latin American country from 1996-2000.

The IndyCar Series is trying to carry momentum from a thrilling 2009, when the points lead changed hands a record 15 times during the season, and three drivers reached the final race with chances to clinch the title.

Franchitti secured the trophy by winning the finale in Miami on fuel strategy, finishing just ahead of Dixon and Briscoe in the standings.

-- Tales Azzoni

IndyCar looking to expand quickly in United States

SAO PAULO — Recapturing the American fan base with increased television coverage and new races in big U.S. cities is one of the priorities for the new Indy Racing League CEO.

Randy Bernard has not become a racing expert just 10 days into his new job, but he has already learned enough to start working on his biggest task — expand the IndyCar Series in the United States.

After 15 years successfully promoting the Professional Bull Riders Inc., Bernard took the job at IRL hoping to give open-wheel racing the same kind of visibility he gave bull riding, helping increase the sport’s TV audience and attendance.

Although Bernard will be watching his first IndyCar race when the season kicks off on Sunday in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he feels he already knows in which direction he needs to steer the series to restore the prestige that open-wheel racing had in America in the early 1990s.

"What we need to do is have more mass television network coverage, it’s one of the key steps," Bernard told The Associated Press. "That helps build superstars, and then we can get more appearance time for these drivers so they can become celebrities and known athletes."

The IndyCar Series has a 17-race schedule, but ABC will broadcast only five. The other 12 races will be carried on cable.

"I think if we create a different graphics packages for TV, it’s one way," Bernard said. "Additional television is another, as well as creating some new types of competition."

Terry Angstadt, president of the series’ commercial division, said the league is working hard on the television package to try to drive higher ratings and expand the IndyCar household reach in the U.S.

IndyCar is also trying to reach new markets abroad by promoting more races outside the U.S., but Angstadt reminds that from the beginning IndyCar is a U.S.-based series. He said new venues in the U.S. would not be overlooked despite some disappointing results in terms of attendance recently.

"We are looking to different countries around the world," Bernard said. "I think that is important for the growth of the sport, but (they) will be taken into consideration along with all of the great big cities in the United States."

Drivers and teams have embraced the arrival of Bernard’s fresh approach to the sport and his desire to do a better job marketing the series.

"For a long time we emphasized on the competition side of what we do," said Mike Hull, the managing director for Target Chip Ganassi. "But we are way too much on the competition side and not enough on the branding and promotional side of our business. We need to find a better balance. If we do that and grow a fan base in the process, I think we really have a good product."

Open-wheel racing took a hit in America when Tony George created the IRL in the mid 1990s to compete with the more established CART series, eventually causing a significant decline in the sports’ fan base.

"What made IndyCar racing so strong for so long was that it represented innovation and technology with a strong fan base," said Hull, who is in his 20th year with the team. "We have to relate to that existing fan base. Lets enhance the brand by moving forward, and I think Randy Bernard can do that, he has that kind of background."

Even if that background has nothing to do with racing, as Bernard freely admits.

"Last week, it was like drinking water out of a fire hose," Bernard said. "I learned a lot, it was a tremendous week. I’m more motivated today and more excited than I was when I started."

He said he doesn’t want to be too aggressive in the beginning and is at a stage where he is starting to get to understand some concepts and ideas, analyzing what is right and wrong and what needs to be done to improve the series.

"Everyone is very excited about the opportunities we have and I think that it’s great coming from a sport that I built from nothing to all the way to where it was," Bernard said. "I hope to bring that type of momentum and opportunity to the Indy Racing League."

-- Tales Azzoni

Formula One

Vettel takes pole at Bahrain; Schumacher 7th

SAKHIR, Bahrain — Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull will start Formula One’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix from pole position, while Michael Schumacher will start in seventh place in his comeback with Mercedes.

Vettel set a fastest time of 1 minute, 54.101 seconds on Saturday to edge Ferrari pair Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, who have both won at the desert track.

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren will start fourth ahead of Nico Rosberg of Mercedes and Red Bull driver Mark Webber.

Seven-time champion Schumacher, racing for the first time in three years, was 1.423 seconds off of Vettel’s pace, but edged ahead of defending champion Jenson Button in eighth for McLaren.

"I just have to get into it," said Schumacher, who will start from the same position he did on his debut at Belgium in 1991. "It’s challenging and that’s a good thing."

Red Bull had tested less than its competitors but predictions of the Austrian car’s speed were confirmed as Vettel edged Massa — racing for the first time since a near-fatal crash in July — by just over one-tenth of a second and Alonso by half a second.

"It was a big surprise," said Vettel, who is going for win No. 6 from a sixth career pole. "Yesterday, I have to admit we were not very happy. I knew there was potential in the car, we just had to put it together. It was really close."

Ferrari was buoyed by the results as it looks to make a strong start after taking only one point from the past two opening races at Melbourne.

"If you look at what happened last season with us, it’s a good start to the season," Massa said. "I’m here 100 percent and ready to fight. After watching on TV, it’s much nicer to be back in the car."

Alonso was happy to be back in the top three and the 2005 and 2006 Bahrain winner said he was not disappointed after looking strong all winter.

"It’s such a long lap and the conditions — it’s such a warm condition — it’s very difficult to complete that lap without any mistakes or problems," he said of the course, which has been lengthened by 0.62 miles. "So far, everything has been great. This is a big boost for the team."

Schumacher and Button both squeezed into the final qualifying session following quick final laps in the second elimination stint, but Williams and Sauber both missed out.

However, the final result proved disappointing for both former champions, who have triumphed here before — Schumacher in 2004 and Button last year for Brawn GP, which turned into Mercedes.

On Friday, the 41-year-old Schumacher said he was still feeling rusty and still looking for his rhythm.

"A podium is not unrealistic but it’s going to be tough," Schumacher said. He added it was "probably going to be easier for (Rosberg) than for me" to finish in the top three.

Button did not hide his frustration as he finished more than 1.5 seconds behind Vettel.

"It’s a big margin — a huge chunk. I’m a little bit surprised that they were that quick," Button said. "But there’s still a little bit of pace to be had in the car. The good news is there are still issues we can solve for tomorrow — it’s not over yet."

Most teams went all out only on their final laps because the top 10 must use exactly the same set-up on Sunday. Alonso called the changes — which include a ban on refueling — "unknown territory."

"This year the challenge is not attacking and pushing every lap to go as fast as you can," said Vettel, who was runner-up to Button last year. "It’s not going to be a sprint tomorrow, it’s going to be an endurance competition. So you have to take care of your tires."

Robert Kubica of Renault will start ninth while Force India’s Adrian Sutil goes from 10th on the 24-car grid.

Timo Glock of Virgin Racing was fastest of the three new teams, none of which advanced from the first qualifying session.

Karun Chandhok will be on the grid Sunday. Hispania Racing got the Indian driver’s car ready after failing to make it on the circuit for the three practice sessions.

-- Paul Logothetis

Massa still competitive despite near-death crash

SAKHIR, Bahrain — Felipe Massa’s qualifying performance confirmed what the Ferrari driver always knew: He’s still competitive despite a near-death crash last season.

Massa will start Formula One’s season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix behind pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull after an impressive first competitive drive Saturday since a crash at the Hungarian GP in July.

"It’s always nice when you come back and you are competitive and that’s what I expected," the Brazilian driver said. "We have a good team and we want to be first. I feel really we’re in a good direction."

Massa was in a coma for several days after lifesaving surgery on skull injuries sustained from a high-speed crash into the wall at the Hungaroring, which came after a loose spring from Rubens Barrichello’s Brawn GP car knocked him unconscious.

"I’m here 100 percent and ready to fight," Massa said. "I feel very happy to be back after such a difficult time. After watching on TV, it’s much nicer to be back in the car."

Vettel paid tribute to Massa, giving "big respect to what he has achieved."

"I think I speak on behalf of all of the drivers when I say it’s good to have him back," said Vettel, who will be trying to hold off Massa for his sixth career win.

Massa, who won here in 2007 and ‘08, said he expected to be competing with Red Bull and Mercedes at the desert track. Nico Rosberg was fifth, while former Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher was seventh in his comeback after three years of retirement.

New Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso was just under half a second off Massa’s pace and the two-time champion will start third as the Italian team had its best qualifying effort in three years.

Ferrari suffered its worst run of results since 1993 last season and ditched 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen in favor of Alonso.

"This is confirmation of the potential of our car, which is great for our prospects in the championship," Alonso said. "But teams are developing the cars so quickly, you can find yourself seventh or eighth suddenly. (So) this is a very good start."

-- Paul Logothetis

Andretti believes F1 can still succeed in U.S.

SAKHIR, Bahrain — Former champion Mario Andretti believes Formula One can still succeed in the United States despite going without a race for three years and an American team’s recent withdrawal from the championship.

Andretti says it is an "unthinkable travesty" that motor racing’s premier sport has not raced in the United States since 2007.

Andretti, speaking from the Bahrain Grand Prix on Saturday, had backed USF1, which pulled out of the 2010 championship at the last minute. The 70-year-old former driver says the Charlotte-based team was probably "shooting too high" before losing control of the project.

Andretti says he will become more involved with Lotus, the team with which he won the championship in 1978.

NHRA

Edwards wins, tops qualifying at Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mike Edwards raced to a Pro Stock victory and the No. 1 qualifying position Saturday at historic Gainesville Raceway.

The defending NHRA champion powered his Pontiac GXP to a win in the completion of the rain-delayed Arizona Nationals and took earned his third No. 1 qualifying position of the season and 25th overall in the Gatornationals.

Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Karen Stoffer (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also topped qualifying in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event.

Edwards raced to his second win of the season and 22nd of his career by outrunning rookie driver Bob Yonke in the final. It was Yonke’s first final round appearance in his first NHRA start. Edwards had a run of 6.552 seconds at 211.16 mph, while Yonke trailed with a 6.601 at 209.36 in his GXP. Edwards took the top qualifying spot for the Gatornationals with a 6.537-second run at 211.56 mph.

"A win’s a win," said Edwards, who beat Greg Anderson and Allen Johnson in the rescheduled quarterfinals and semis. "I am real thankful. We’ve come here to Gainesville and ran good. We had some changes to the rules and my guys made the changes and we’ve done well. I am real proud of them."

In Top Fuel, Brown powered his dragster to a track-record time of 3.803 at 321.04 to earn his first No. 1 of the season and 22nd of his career (11th in Top Fuel).

Hagan claimed his third Funny Car top qualifying effort with a 4.060 at a track-record speed of 313.58 in a Dodge Charger.

Stoffer earned her second career No. 1 position in Pro Stock Motorcycle, speeding to a track-record time of 6.855 at 194.77 on a Suzuki.