Brad Keselowski won't feel ashamed of not making Chase

RICHMOND, Va. Brad Keselowski refuses to feel ashamed of his 2013 season. He refuses to lose sleep over what in some way the racing gods control.

He knows he could feel the pain of disappointment tonight at Richmond International Speedway. He doesnt know if he is ready or how he will handle it Lebron 11 Sneaker Sale 2013.

Brad Keselowski will be hard pressed to make the 2013 Chase for the Sprint Cup. (AP Photo)

Just like winning the 2012 Cup championship was a new experience, missing the Chase for the Sprint Cup the year after winning the championship would be a new one for Keselowski.

The Penske Racing driver enters NASCARs regular-season finale tonight on the brink of missing the Chase just 42 weeks after he celebrated his first Cup title.

He no longer controls his own destiny. He can win and still needs help to get into the Chase. He can finish second and would need a ton of help to get into the Chase.

It would seem that for a 29-year-old there would be sleepless nights this week. He insists hes slept just fine despite sitting winless, 15th in the standings, and 28 points out of an automatic top-10 Chase spot.

I'd be ashamed if we didn't run well, the Penske driver said. That's what I would be ashamed of. And we're not running badly.

They havent run badly but results have been the problem. Keselowski had opportunities to win the first four weeks, and he couldnt capitalize. His team has had 31 points worth of penalties, including a 25-point penalty in April where Keselowski felt his team was being targeted for its rear suspension ingenuity.

He has no top-10s in the last three weeks and just three top-10s in the last 12 weeks. In the last two weeks, a crash at Bristol and engine failure at Atlanta put his team in even a bigger rut.

I know I did all I could do at Atlanta, Keselowski said 2013 Nike Free Running Shoes. I know I did all I could do at Bristol.

The items that disappoint me or really weigh heavily on my mind are the things I could control and didn't do the best I could. That's knowing at Pocono we were a third- or fourth-place car and we finished sixth or seventh. I know at Bristol and Atlanta there was nothing I could do.

Keselowski also refuses to look at the Texas penalty and blame that for his woes. His teammate, Joey Logano, had the same penalty and is eighth in the standings and has 38 points more than Keselowski this season.

I do know we've left a lot more on the table than 25 points, which is what we lost there, Keselowski said. We left a lot on the table this year.

It wouldn't necessarily be fair to blame every shortfall on that one.

While the organization switched from Dodge to Ford in the offseason, Keselowski feels he has had fast cars. His team has not had major changes.

Keselowski still preaches confidence, and he showed how fast his cars are as he will start third in the Federated Auto Parts 400 today.

He has never led a lap in a Cup race at Richmond and yet he feels like he can win the race. In the Nationwide Series race Friday night, Keselowski led the final 11 laps in earning the win.

I feel like we're a great team, Keselowski said. I feel like in the sports world, especially racing, you can only really control how fast you are and how well you execute.

You can't control the luck side. We've had a lot of bad luck KD 6 Shoes Sale Online. There's been some times where we haven't executed. The shortfall of execution hasn't made up for the luck issue.

The shortfall in regards to his team's execution could lead to the disappointment tonight of missing the Chase. He would become the first reigning champion since Tony Stewart in 2006 to miss the Chase.

Any season you don't win a championship should be a lost season for every driver, Keselowski said. Just making the Chase this year and running eighth or 10th or whatever would not have been a good year either. That's how I feel about it.