Brad Keselowski held on and barely edged his Team Penske teammate in a short one-lap shootout to end Stage 2 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. This is Keselowski’s fourth Stage Win of 2020.
Here is video of the final lap shootout to Stage 2:
Stage 1: Almirola
Stage 2: Keselowski
Stage 3: ????? https://t.co/vtbXZ9bHML— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) July 12, 2020
Keselowski was a surprise winner of the Stage, as strategy played a huge role in the outcome of Stage 2. Keselowski and his crew chief Jeremy Bullins opted to wait until the very last opportunity to make a pit stop during a pit cycle near the end of Stage 2 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400.
The call turned out to be a great one, as Keselowski was still the leader of the race at the last scoring loop when a caution came out for a spinning Matt Kenseth on lap 152. Blaney, who would have cycled back to being the leader if the race had not went yellow, was stuck in second as a result.
Rookie Cole Custer finished third in Stage 2, Joey Logano was fourth and Martin Truex Jr., who started from the rear of the field after failing pre-race inspection multiple times, was fifth.
Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson, Matt DiBenedetto and Erik Jones rounded out the top-10 finishers in Stage 2.
Stage and Playoff Points Awarded in Stage 2:
| Finish | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brad Keselowski | 10 | 1 |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | 9 | 0 |
| 3 | Cole Custer | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | Joey Logano | 7 | 0 |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | Alex Bowman | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | Austin Dillon | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | Jimmie Johnson | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | Matt DiBenedetto | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | Erik Jones | 1 | 0 |
