In case you missed it, StatChat is counting down the days ‘til the 2021 Daytona 500. Every two days, we will have a new article featuring one of the Top 30 Drivers of 2020. 2nd Place – Brad Keselowski – 5035 pts By the Numbers: 2 Best Seasons – A simple metric for measuring how good a driver’s season has gone is Average Finish. For those who have followed this Countdown to Daytona Series, you will have seen it referenced a lot. Brad Keselowski has an anomaly among his career Average Finishes in that 2020 was TIED for his best year ever. His 2020 Average Finish of 10.08 is the exact same as his Average Finish from 2013, a year which saw him earn one less Top 10, but one more win than in 2020. 3rd Best Average Finish – Keselowski, just like he did at Bristol, can sneak up on you out of nowhere and surprise you (sorry Chase Elliott fans). In a year when it really was the Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin show, Brad Keselowski quietly put together a really great year. His 10.08 Average Finish ranked 3rd among all drivers behind those two. 4th Best Average Running Position – It didn’t matter where – Brad Keselowski liked to be up near the front all year. Ranking 4th out of the only 4 drivers whose Average Running Position was under 10, Keselowski spent 2020 (on average) in 9.9th place. 29th Best Career Record @ Daytona – It’s hard to believe that a driver with the pedigree of a Brad Keselowski might have such a bad record at Daytona International Speedway. But it isn’t that Brad has less finish at Super Speedways, as his record at Talladega is quite a bit better. In the Cup Series, Brad Keselowski has an Average Finish @ Daytona of 23.22 – 29th best of all drivers in 2020. Compare that with an Average Finish just over 7 places better at Talladega – 16.21 (10th best of all 2020 drivers). 2,397 Quality Passes in 2020 – Further evidence to back up the claim that Brad Keselowski enjoys hanging out up front, he had the most quality passes of any driver in 2020. A quality pass is a Green-Flag pass that is made in the Top 15. In order to rack up Quality Passes, one must first of all be in the Top 15, but also be good enough once there to pass others around him. In 2020, there was no one better at it. There was some talk that Brad Keselowski might leave Team Penske at the end of 2020 and be a free agent heading into the offseason. However, in August it was announced that Brad would return in 2021 to the Team Penske No. 2 Ford. Keselowski should be good for at least one win in 2021, but we wouldn’t count on it coming at the first points race of the season! Coming up in two days – Chase Elliott Follow us on Twitter @StatChat_RR
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