Brad Keselowski is practiced Hendrick Motorsports’ #5 Pop Tars/Carquest Chevy Friday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway for Casey Mears, who is expecting his first child with girlfriend Trisha Grablander. In the event that Mears needs to return to North Carolina to be with Grablander, Keselowski will be on standby and is practicing the car accordingly. NASCAR is requiring that Keselowski must practice the car before being allowed to drive in relief. Keselowski is a JR Motorsports driver [#88 US Navy Chevy] in the Nationwide Series who will attempt his Sprint Cup debut in a Hendrick car next week at Charlotte [at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevy](SceneDaily)(10-3-2008) UPDATE: #5-Casey Mears will start on the front row Sunday, assuming he’s still in Talladega. Nationwide Series driver Brad Keselowski will make his Sprint Cup debut and replace Mears in the #5 Pop Tarts/Carquest Chevy if Mears’ girlfriend, Trisha Grablander, goes into labor. Grablander is due at any moment. Mears, who qualified second, will fly home to North Carolina if Grablander goes into labor this weekend. “It’s a very important time in my life,” Mears said. “I don’t want to miss the birth of my child. Hendrick Motorsports has set it up for me to get back if it comes to that.”(ESPN)(10-5-2008)
