Keselowski after wreck: "It's time for this sport to design a new car"

On the restart following the break between Stages 1 and 2 at Kentucky Speedway, Keselowski got loose under Clint Bowyer, which triggered a wreck that also collected Jimmie Johnson.

Both Keselowski and Johnson were damaged to the extent they could not continue in Saturday night’s Quaker State 400.

“I got stuck in the aero and it just pulled me around. It’s part of the deal when you race at these types of tracks – one groove and the car and the way it’s designed. You have to find a way around it as a driver and I didn’t find a way around it,” Keselowski said.

“We weren’t as fast as we wanted to be today – which that is always frustrating – but I’m probably as frustrated with myself as I am with the situation, frustrated with the sport that we can’t design a better car than you can race without having to do everything on the restart. But that’s all part of it, I guess, that’s where we are right now.”

Improving the racing

While much of the discussion at Kentucky this weekend has surrounded its recent repaving and the work track officials have tried to improve the racing grooves, Keselowski directed the problem towards the car used in the series today and its accompanying aerodynamic issues.

“They made a good effort (on the track) but there a limitations with how the car is – it needs a lot more help than the tires. It’s just a poorly designed race car and it makes racing on tracks like this very difficult to put on the show we want to put on for the fans,” he said.

“You do what you can to gouge and claw on the restarts and get everything you can get. You’ve got to put yourself in bad situations to do that and that’s where we were. And if you don’t make those moves on the restarts, then you run in the back or you have a bad day.

“It’s time for this sport to design a new car that’s worthy of where this sport deserves to be and the show it deserves to put on for the fans.”

At the time incident, Keselowski was listed in 38th in the race and Johnson 39th. Both drivers are safely in the playoffs, however, as each has multiple wins (Keselowski two, Johnson three).