BLOG: Keselowski REALLY Wants a Second NASCAR Title

SPARTA, Ky. -- Brad Keselowski is 30 years old and he's already worried about his legacy.

The 2012 series champion domianted the Quaker State 400 on Saturday at Kentucky, survived a run-in with a champagne bottle that required stitches in his hand and dropped some knowledge on the fan base in his post-race media conference.

“I turned 30, and I'm going through a bit of a mid-life crisis,” Keselowski joked (at least I hope he was joking; I was in college when he was born). 

“I want to win another championship. I don't want to just win one. I think I have the team to do it, with (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) and the guys. I have the owner to do it with Roger Penske, and the urgency is now.  

“I don't want to win one championship and that be it for my career. I'm not going to be happy with that. And I want to win another championship, but I don't want it to be five or 10 years from now. I don't want to be a guy that contends for a championship every three or four years. I want to do it each and every year, and I know that opportunity is here, and it's present, and I want to make the most of it, and I'm not afraid to communicate that.”

Question: when has Keselowski ever been afraid to communicate? Just asking.

He's a brash young man, that's for sure and for certain. Brash can be refreshing, and it can be a confounded pain in the butt. Keselowski vacillates between the two extremes.

Perhaps that's why he's wondering about his place in the NASCAR firmament.

He's won 12 races so far, has titles in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series and has a plum ride with Roger Penske.

Just about all the top stars of the sport have had run-ins with Keselowski, and while that's good in one sense, it can rattle some cages best left alone. He's not Southern, not Californian. He's from Michigan, and that does still matter.

He's really trying to firm up his place in the order of things, and that shows a definite insecurity on his part. That's not a bad thing, because it shows the opposite side of the brash and sometimes abrasive public persona.

“Everyone’s always trying to fight for a spot in the pecking order,” Keselowski said. “It’s difficult to assemble where you are in the pecking order. Some would go by your success—wins, championship, et cetera.

“Some would go by your longevity, how long you’ve been in the sport. And I would say others would go by your star power, with respect your fan base and maybe media prowess. So everyone’s fighting to be at the top.”

Winning in 2012, derailing the inevitable drive of Jimmie Johnson toward another title.

“I think (the championship) got me closer,” Keselowski said. “When it comes to the old boys’ club, I would say their metric for measurement is probably longevity, and when you look across the board as it pertains to those who’ve had success in the sport—success in the tangible form of winning races and winning championships—I’m by far the youngest.”

We'll see how this all plays out, but it's a fascinating look into a side of BK that we seldom get to see.