Talladega winner waits for big break

Something has been lost amid the uproar of Carl Edwards going airborne near the finish line at Talladega Superspeedway.

Something has been forgotten in the ensuing debate over restrictor-plate racing, track safety, who was at fault and Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Junior! Little E! -- NASCAR's most popular driver, who finished second.

Brad Keselowski won at Talladega.

Remember Keselowski?

Don't feel bad if you don't.

Keselowski's first Sprint Cup victory was so improbable that even Keselowski has a hard time believing it.

"It hasn't soaked in yet," he said yesterday.

Now that he has won, Keselowski has to decide what to do next.

In any sport, there are two ways to do things -- the fast way and the right way.

Keselowski is intent on doing things the right way. He is not seeking immediate gratification.

He ran in the Nationwide 250 last night at Richmond International Raceway. He will not drive in the Sprint Cup race tonight. That hardly seems fair. He won last week at a superspeedway. He's got a hot hand.

He's full of energy and enthusiasm and would be a great face for the sponsor of a team. Someone should have been intent on getting Keselowski on the track for tonight's race.

The person who is least upset is Keselowski.

"It's hard to get frustrated when you don't picture yourself as winner yet," Keselowski said. "I feel like I can run over there [on the Sprint circuit] and be competitive.

"But the opportunity is not there, and until it is there, it is what it is."

Keselowski is young, 25, and loving life. He gets to drive a race car for a living, even if it isn't always in the Sprint Cup competition.

For now, he's pleased to drive the No.88 Delphi Chevrolet on the Nationwide Series team owned by Earnhardt.

And yes, Keselowski beat his boss last week.

The boss seems OK with that.

"There's a part of me that's real happy for him, proud for him, and I feel like I've helped him get to this point," Earnhardt said. "He earned all the credit he's getting for that win and his ability to run well."

Keselowski is not getting all that much credit for winning.

Talladega is a fast track. The surface is so smooth that there are few handling problems. The restrictor plates placed on the engines force all drivers to move at almost the same speed.

One theory is that Keselowski didn't win at Talladega as much as he avoided wrecks, then held on and crossed the line first.

Keselowski is an agreeable sort, but he disputes that notion.

"It wasn't easy at Talladega," he said. "I didn't have anybody to run with all day. If I hadn't picked Carl, I wouldn't have been up there.

"I originally intended to push Casey Mears to front because he was in a Chevrolet, too. That didn't work out. I just happened to run into Carl, and we went to the front."

Keselowski's objective now is to make sure he stays at the front. If that means sticking to the plan -- focus on the Nationwide Series with occasional forays into the Sprint Cup world -- devised at the beginning of the season, he will do that.

He could storm and stomp around, declaring youth must be served. But he's not.

Keselowski knows Talladega is famous for producing first-time winners who end their careers as one-time winners. Some call it the Talladega jinx.

"It's only a jinx if you let it be a jinx," Keselowski said. "That's why this whole contract negotiation is very pivotal to the rest of my career."

Keselowski likes to drive fast. He is not interested in any fast moves regarding his future as a driver.

He understands that patience is a virtue, and that's as rare in a young driver as a victory at Talladega.

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or .