NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Keselowski Is King
Vegas banquet officially crowns Brad Keselowski as Sprint Cup’s new champion…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted November 30, 2012   Las Vegas, NV
Brad Keselowski accepts his ring for winning the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.
Brad Keselowski’s tenure as Sprint Cup champion began Friday night with a Miller Lite toast, the arrival of a golden Goodyear car and the applause of a crowd of about 1,500 at the Wynn hotel/casino.

Keselowski’s unlikely championship put long-time team owner Roger Penske at the Sprint Cup Series Awards banquet head table for the first time. He raced in NASCAR circles for the first time in 1972 (although he was absent from the sport for a decade later).

Keselowski, son of a Midwestern racing family and a Cup champion in only his third full-time season in the series, also shared the head table with crew chief Paul Wolfe, a former driver who has formed a potent partnership with the driver of the Miller-sponsored No. 2 car.

Keselowski began the official part of the evening in a tower suite in the Wynn, accepting the solid-gold car Goodyear presents each season to the Sprint Cup champion.

Then he and his party left for the Wynn’s massive ballroom, where hundreds of fans, industry insiders, media representatives and a raft of performing talent waited. Entertainment highlights were provided by the band Train and performers from the Beatles LOVE Las Vegas show. Master of ceremonies Howie Mandell kept the program moving with topical NASCAR humor.

The series’ top 10 drivers spoke about their seasons, with Keselowski taking the podium last to review a year that earned him five victories, a championship by 39 points over second-place Clint Bowyer and status as a contender for many years to come.

Pointing out five-time champion Jimmie Johnson in the crowd, Keselowski said, “You made me earn it.”

Fighting a problem with his voice after two weeks’ worth of interviews, Keselowski said, “I feel like a lottery winner, and the guys on my team are the lottery tickets.”

Looking at the banners showcasing former champions – and his championship – hanging from the ballroom ceiling, Keselowski said, “I can’t believe that my name is somewhere near Dale Earnhardt’s. I can’t even believe that. I don’t deserve that.”

Keselowski said he hopes the sport “can continue to find common ground, to unify. We have smart people in this room, and we can solve any problems.”

The Rochester Hills, Mich., driver said, “The best is yet to come. I’m going to do my best to be sure we can be back here and up on this stage.”

Finishing second through 10th in the standings were Bowyer, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon.

Penske took the stage to be honored as the champion team owner, fulfilling a quest he started with the late Mark Donohue.

“This is an amazing club I’m joining,” Penske told the crowd. “You can’t buy it with money. You can’t get voted in. You’ve got to earn it by winning.”

The banquet was the final official event of a long week of Vegas celebrations for Keselowski and his team. They and their invited guests were expected to party deep into the Vegas night at Surrender, a club at the adjacent Encore hotel/casino.

Bowyer, however, had other plans. He was ready to roll on to other things.

“This speech was my last job for the year, and my ass is clocking out,” he said. “See y’all.”
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