Brad Keselowski on winning NASCAR’s iconic Coca-Cola 600: ‘I’m tickled to death’

Brad Keselowski held off Jimmie Johnson to win one of the biggest races on NASCAR’s schedule — and the longest.

Brad Keselowski is slowly collecting checkered flags for NASCAR’s biggest races, and just after midnight on Memorial Day at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the 36-year-old Team Penske driver added another.

Keselowski in the No. 2 Ford held off seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson to win the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on NASCAR’s schedule which actually turned out to be the longest race in Cup Series history, per FOX’s broadcast, because of overtime late Sunday night/early Monday morning.

It’s Keselowski’s first Coke 600 win, his first checkered flag of the 2020 season and his 31st career victory.

“I’ve wanted to win the 600 my whole life,” Keselowski said on a Zoom call with reporters after the race. “I wish it was in front of everybody. I recognize that’s not always how it works.”

NASCAR considers its “crown jewel” races to be the season-opening Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway), the Coca-Cola 600, the Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and the Southern 500 (Darlington Raceway), but Keselowski said he’d throw Bristol Motor Speedway’s night race into that category too.

So by NASCAR’s count, he’s won three of four “crown jewels,” and by his own, it’s four of five. He’s only missing the Daytona 500.

In his on-track interview after the race, Keselowski told FOX Sports’ Jamie Little:

“It’s a major! It’s the Coke 600, and this leaves only one major left for me, the Daytona 500, so we’re checking them off. … We might not have been the fastest car today, but, wow, did we grind this one out, Jamie. The pit crew at the end, the yellow right before the last had a blazing stop to get us up front and put us in position. All these things just came together, and I’m tickled to death. It’s a little overwhelming to be honest.”

More than five hours after the initial checkered flag — there was an (entertaining) early rain delay for 68 minutes — Chase Elliott had the lead on Lap 398 of what was originally scheduled to be a 400-lap, 600-mile race. But a caution came out thanks to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, and when he turned to pit road, Keselowski took over.

Keselowski held onto the lead off the restart ahead of Johnson with just two overtime laps for a total of 405 trips around the Charlotte track. Elliott, however, still managed to finish third.

While being interviewed on the 1.5-mile track, Keselowski explained how he’s been in similar situations in the past but wasn’t able to come away with the win. He even thought that was going to be the case again.

He told FOX Sports:

“I feel like I’ve thrown this race away a handful of times, and I felt we were gonna lose it today. I know we’ve lost it the way Chase lost it, and that really stinks. And today, we finally won it that way, and I’m so happy for my team. I wish my wife was here. I wish my daughters were here.

NASCAR’s not done with Charlotte Motor Speedway yet. The Cup Series returns to the track Wednesday for its fourth race back following a 10-week hiatus this spring because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

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