Keselowski's favorite track has competition

It's been a busy start to the 2012 season. After crossing the country a couple of times, we can use this weekend to reflect on the solid start to the season that we've had, along with spending time with friends and family over the Easter holiday.

But before we get to any of that, we spent two days in the Irish Hills of Michigan for the Goodyear tire test on the new Michigan International Speedway surface. I was expecting ridiculously fast speeds, and the track did not disappoint. Now, I'm partial to MIS as the only Michigan driver in the Cup Series, but you have to applaud everyone at the track for their continued upgrades. It really is one of the nicest places we visit. Hopefully, we all did our job during the test, and we'll go back with a tire that not only will put on a good race but also will hold up to the high speeds.





“

To borrow a phrase from golf on this Masters weekend, there is a new leader in the clubhouse with [Michigan]. It is a beast.

”

-- BRAD KESELOWSKI

And we definitely had some very high speeds. The "Blue Deuce" topped out at about 210 mph on the first day. We'll have to wait and see what rules package we come back with in June, but the track is super smooth and should be in perfect shape for the first race.

Over the years, we have seen tracks that have differentiated themselves -- risen to the top, so to speak -- as being the biggest, the baddest and/or the fastest. Places like Charlotte, Texas and Atlanta all had a legitimate claim at one time or another. However, to borrow a phrase from golf on this Masters weekend, there is a new leader in the clubhouse with MIS. It is a beast.

Now, I know a lot of us missed the off weekend that we used to have after the race at Las Vegas. I get it. We're in Daytona for almost two weeks, then we head to the West Coast for another 10 days to race at Phoenix and Vegas. That's a lot packed into a couple of weeks. For me, I like that we kept racing with no break. It allowed us to keep the momentum from the first few races when we got to Bristol.

I get asked a lot about my favorite race track. More often than not, I'll say "wherever you win." But if I had to make a list, Bristol Motor Speedway would be at the top. There is a track in Toledo, Ohio, where I ran super late models growing up. It was a half-mile, medium-banked oval. We ran around that place in 15 seconds. To me, the first lap I ever took on this race track felt just like I was in that late model car in Toledo, Ohio, and that made me really, really comfortable at Bristol from day one.

When we got to Bristol last month, I was really excited about the speed we had shown throughout the season. We were fast right off the truck, so I told everyone on Twitter that I had the best car I'd ever had in the Cup Series. Pretty strong words, but we were able to back it up by leading 232 laps to pick up the win.

There are other places that perhaps have a little more prestige, but Bristol defines a race team. It asks so much of you, whether it's just in practice being lined up on pit road and dealing with the noise and the havoc that practice can be, or the hot day of getting through tech and making those last adjustments, or as a driver, 500 laps in the bowl trying to keep your composure. This race track can really test a team, and I think that the teams that come out on top, whether it's driver or whatever, I think that they show what it takes to overcome adversity.