Because while #92-Brian Keselowski told the media assembled in his post-Gatorade Duel press conference that the payday his Daytona 500 start would bring meant he could be able to go to Phoenix, he never actually said he would. “I don’t even know if we’re going to be able to go yet,” noted Brian when discussing his plans for his six-figure payday. “I put my entry in, but it was kind of like ‘well, if this doesn’t work maybe we’ve got a car that can go to Phoenix.’ Now, the car’s beat up a fairly good amount. And when you come to the track, you’ve got to be right. They’re going to make sure we’re right now [in Daytona], and that’s fine. That’s the way it goes and it’s the same for everyone. But I don’t think I can get the car repaired enough to be right for Phoenix. So, it takes another car, and I don’t have one yet.” Asked point-blank if his remarks meant that he was contemplating a partial schedule, as opposed to running on a shoestring week after week the way his operation did in Nationwide competition the past two seasons, Keselowski answered in the affirmative. If anything, the struggles of his past two years have clearly given this owner/driver perspective that few in the garage today have. “If I can get something that I think is competitive and go to Phoenix, I’ll go to Phoenix,” he stated of his plans. “If I feel like I can get something competitive to go to Vegas, I’ll go to Vegas. [But] I’m not going to go if I don’t think I can make the race. I’m not going to go just to say that I went. I don’t have enough money to do that. [The payday] gets us back to zero. That’s about it. Maybe a little better than that, but not a lot. And that’s the best thing that could happen at this point. Now, I can look at all the people in the eye that have been helping me the last two years and say it worked.”(Frontstretch)(2-20-2011) UPDATE: Terry Blount reported on ESPN’s NASCAR Now Tuesday that #92-Brian Keselowski is still trying to get his car ready for Phoenix after it sufffered damage in a wreck a Daytona. The team is hopeful that they can complete the work in time to leave for Phoenix. If they are unable to get ready, the team’s next race will likely be Bristol.(2-23-2011)
