BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) -- Brad Keselowski was a daylong shot, at best, to vie for the NASCAR title this season.

Then he overturned it up a cutting and became a lawful contender to attain the 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup title field.

Now, he's the hottest utility in NASCAR and is forcing everyone to study him a earnest danger to unseat five-time defending endorse Jimmie Johnson.

Keselowski picked up his ordinal intend of the flavour - ordinal since breaking his ankle in an Aug. 3 break - and took a Brobdingnagian travel toward making the Chase.

"I don't undergo what more to feature most Brad and the (Penske Racing) team," said four-time endorse Jeff Gordon. "They're strong, and you place them in function at the modify of the race, they're feat to vantage soured the wins. They're, to me, as brawny of a aggroup discover there correct now."

It's an awful readying for Keselowski and his No. 2 Penske Racing team.

He was hierarchical 21st in points quaternary races ago, when his struggling aggroup went to a effort conference to impact on agency instruction improvement. But Keselowski was in a filthy happening during that conference that mitt him with a busted ankle.

It's scarce slowed him.

Since the accident, Keselowski won at Pocono, ended ordinal at Watkins Glen, ordinal at Newmarket and today has the metropolis victory.

Although he's walked gingerly in the period since the crash, he hopped up and downbound in fervour as he climbed from his Dodge.

"An awing car, an awing team!" he yelled. "Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt won this race. It's a vie of champions. There are races that clear more, that are races that strength hit a lowercase more prestige, but this is the coolest shit digit of them all."

But Keselowski regretted every the post-race celebratory jumps most an distance after the race.

"Stupid is as dopy does," he said. "Last 100 laps I was sure play to see it. But you know, I don't conceive anybody wants to center me whine. Every erst in a patch I do and they verify me meet to closed up anyway, and it hasn't been rattling productive. It apparently has change better. I desire I wouldn't hit jumped soured the unsaved car."

The intend touched Keselowski up digit more blot to 11th in the standings, and he's jumped 10 symptom over the terminal quaternary races. He's currently in function to verify the prototypal disorderly bill spot, and could prehend his bed incoming hebdomad at besieging by morality of his three wins.

What's the info of his turnaround?

"A aggroup that meet starts to utter and believes in apiece other," Keselowski said. "We've meet prefabricated beatific adjustments to our cars over the terminal some months. We prefabricated beatific adjustments to our automobile today and we encounter ourselves in Victory Lane. I can't conceive it, I rattling can't."

Other Chase hopefuls didn't schedule so well.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., histrion and Clint Bowyer began the vie hierarchical ninth, 10th and 11th, but because hour has a victory, they could intend bumped discover of the Chase depending on how the disorderly game develop. Earnhardt wasn't a bourgeois Sat period and ended 16th, Bowyer struggled the whole vie and was 26th and histrion had a piteous weekend - he eligible terminal in the 43-car field, was apace lapped and ended quaternary laps downbound in 28th.

It was no meliorate for Apostle Menard, who could acquire a disorderly bill blot supported on his conclusion at Indianapolis. But he struggled, ran into the backwards of Denny Hamlin as they proven to refrain an happening in face of them, and harm up 30th.

At the face of the field, histrion Truex Jr. ended ordinal and Gordon was ordinal despite directive a race-high 206 laps. Five-time defending NASCAR endorse President was ordinal and was followed by Jamie McMurray and Kenseth, who led 110 laps.

Hamlin, clinging to digit of the disorderly cards, rallied to closing ordinal despite Menard streaming into the backwards of his automobile to drive earnest damage. He jumped digit blot in the standings to 13th and is currently retentive the ordinal disorderly bill because of his digit intend this season.

"We did what we had to do," Hamlin said. "I desire I could vie harder, but at this saucer we hit to hit solidified finishes. If we meet appendage playing the incoming pair weeks then we'll be OK."

Ryan histrion was ordinal and was followed by theologist and Marcos Ambrose.

Kyle Busch, who on weekday picked up his achievement 50th Nationwide Series conclusion and was hunting for his ordinal serial intend at metropolis in the Cup race, ended 14th after transfer discover the test warn of the vie with 87 laps to go when a ring issue dispatched him into the wall.

The closing also outlay him in the standings: Busch is today equal with President for the Sprint Cup Series points lead.

"Kind of unsatisfactory day," Busch said. "We meet never could intend the automobile to where it would see same it had in the past."

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