Brad Keselowski know how to win at Martinsville Speedway; not as a driver, but as an owner.
Keselowski owns two teams in the Camping World Truck Series, one of which took home the iconic grandfather clock in the spring.
The championship winning driver sees the series as a way to reinvest in the sport he cares so much about.
“The sport to me is somewhat of a reflection of what we all put in it,” Keselowski said. “For me putting effort into the truck team is not just rewarding in the sense of being able to win races and get cool trophies, but in order to do some other things.
“I can tell you one of the things I get the biggest kick out of being an owner in the truck series is seeing a mechanic or a fabricator that goes from my program to Team Penske.”
In the spring it was Joey Logano winning in the truck, but Saturday’s Kroger 200 will have a different driver behind the wheel, one who will be making his first-ever start in the series.
Austin Cindric will pilot the No. 29 Ford.
“I kind of did a mental self-check to make sure I was ready for something like this,” Cindric said about getting the call to drive for Keselowski. “It was definitely really exciting. There was no way I could say no to it.”
While Logano took the truck to victory lane in the spring, Cindric is using the opportunity as a learning experience.
However, he also knows he’s in good equipment.
“It’s the winning truck from the spring,” he said. “In fact, I’m actually wearing the same fire suit that Joey wore when he drove.”
Cindric also is also appreciative of Keselowski not just taking a chance on him, but his willingness to help grow the future of the sport.
“It’s awesome. It’s exactly what the sport needs,” he said. “There’s a ton of (young drivers) out there trying to be big names trying to win the Daytona 500 someday.”
That’s exactly what Keselowski is trying to do.
“In NASCAR there is no draft,” he said. “If you went to an NFL team and said ‘there’s no draft’, what would they do? They would all create a college or university and try to recruit their own players and keep them in their system as long as possible.
“I tell my own people that I want my program to be like Alabama football to the NFL, specifically to Team Penske.”
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