Brad Keselowski

Considered the newest young star on the Sprint Cup circuit, Keselowski has four career Cup victories in 89 starts through 2011.

Three of those wins came in 2011, when he finished fifth in the Cup standings.

It was a turnaround season for Keselowski, who struggled to a 25th-place finish in the standings in his first full season in Cup and his first year at Penske Racing.

Keselowski spent the previous three seasons at JR Motorsports, where he won six Nationwide races and placed as high as third in points. He also won a Cup race in dramatic fashion in April 2009 at Talladega as he held his line and made contact with Carl Edwards when Edwards attempted to block him. Edwards was eventually hit by Ryan Newman, sending Edwards’ car flying into the catch fence. It was the first win for car owner James Finch.

Running both Nationwide and Cup in 2010, Keselowski won the 2010 Nationwide Series title. He has won 11 Nationwide races the last two years and won the most popular driver award in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Born into a racing family, Keselowski has spent his life at race tracks as his parents had a team that participated in ARCA and the Camping World Truck Series.

Keselowski raced for two years in his family’s truck and then had a stint in Nationwide with the underfunded Keith Coleman Racing but was out of a seat looking for a ride in 2007. His big break came when Ted Musgrave was suspended for a race for intentionally wrecking another driver under caution. He replaced Musgrave, winning the pole and leading 62 laps at Memphis to catch the eye of JR Motorsports officials.

Not just a driver, Keselowski also owns a team in the Camping World Truck Series.

He also has his own foundation, Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation, which supports individuals who have sacrificed greatly for America, including military members, veterans, first-responders and their families, among others.