DODGE WINS! "The Final Countdown!"

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NASCAR Cup Results
Last Updated: Sunday, Nov 18, 2012
Ford EcoBoost 400
Status: Final Homestead-Miami Speedway

Keselowski wins Sprint Cup title



LINK: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar...0--nascar.html


Order Driver (No.) Car Pts/Bonus Laps Laps Led Winnings Lap Progress
1 Jeff Gordon (24) Chevrolet 47/4 267 14 $334,161 Chart
2 Clint Bowyer (15) Toyota 42/0 267 0 $263,749 Chart
3 Ryan Newman (39) Chevrolet 42/1 267 3 $228,768 Chart
4 Kyle Busch (18) Toyota 42/2 267 191 $198,318 Chart
5 Greg Biffle (16) Ford 39/0 267 0 $143,060 Chart
6 Martin Truex Jr. (56) Toyota 39/1 267 11 $131,199 Chart
7 Aric Almirola (43) Ford 37/0 267 0 $132,446 Chart
8 Kevin Harvick (29) Chevrolet 36/0 267 0 $134,121 Chart
9 Kurt Busch (78) Chevrolet 35/0 267 0 $107,318 Chart
10 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) Chevrolet 34/0 267 0 $87,085 Chart
11 Paul Menard (27) Chevrolet 33/0 267 0 $84,810 Chart
12 Carl Edwards (99) Ford 32/0 267 0 $119,176 Chart
13 Marcos Ambrose (9) Ford 32/1 267 14 $103,268 Chart
14 Joey Logano (20) Toyota 30/0 267 0 $88,810 Chart
15 Brad Keselowski (2) Dodge 29/0 266 0 $108,980 Chart **
16 Mark Martin (55) Toyota 28/0 266 0 $75,385 Chart
17 Tony Stewart (14) Chevrolet 27/0 266 0 $128,535 Chart
18 Matt Kenseth (17) Ford 27/1 266 2 $119,171 Chart
19 Jeff Burton (31) Chevrolet 25/0 266 0 $112,160 Chart
20 Jamie McMurray (1) Chevrolet 24/0 266 0 $105,668 Chart
21 Kasey Kahne (5) Chevrolet 24/1 266 7 $81,135 Chart
22 Sam Hornish Jr. (22) Dodge 22/0 266 0 $113,960 Chart
23 Trevor Bayne (21) Ford 21/0 266 0 $72,310 Chart
24 Denny Hamlin (11) Toyota 20/0 266 0 $113,976 Chart
25 Bobby Labonte (47) Toyota 19/0 265 0 $96,743 Chart
26 Travis Kvapil (93) Toyota 18/0 265 0 $93,893 Chart
27 Landon Cassill (83) Toyota 17/0 265 0 $97,780 Chart
28 Juan Pablo Montoya (42) Chevrolet 16/0 264 0 $101,126 Chart
29 Casey Mears (13) Ford 15/0 264 0 $82,318 Chart
30 Regan Smith (51) Chevrolet 14/0 264 0 $89,257 Chart
31 David Ragan (34) Ford 13/0 263 0 $67,235 Chart
32 Dave Blaney (36) Chevrolet 12/0 263 0 $67,010 Chart
33 David Gilliland (38) Ford 11/0 262 0 $66,810 Chart
34 David Reutimann (10) Chevrolet 10/0 261 0 $66,610 Chart
35 J.J. Yeley (37) Chevrolet 9/0 261 0 $66,410 Chart
36 Jimmie Johnson (48) Chevrolet 9/1 224 25 $113,396 Chart
37 Ken Schrader (32) Ford 7/0 219 0 $74,255 Chart
38 David Stremme (30) Toyota 6/0 183 0 $65,753 Chart
39 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (6) Ford 5/0 157 0 $62,850 Chart
40 Josh Wise (26) Ford 4/0 38 0 $64,120 Chart
41 Michael McDowell (98) Ford 3/0 34 0 $62,405 Chart
42 Scott Riggs (23) Chevrolet 2/0 23 0 $62,110 Chart
43 Mike Bliss (119) Toyota 1/0 16 0 $62,429 Chart


2012 Sprint Cup Season

Rank (+/-) Drivers Total Pts Behind Starts Poles Wins Top 5 Top 10 DNF Winnings

1 - Brad Keselowski 2400 Leader 36 0 5 13 23 1 $6,227,850
2 +2 Clint Bowyer 2361 39 36 0 3 10 23 4 $5,546,082
3 -1 Jimmie Johnson 2360 40 36 4 5 18 24 6 $8,129,639
4 -1 Kasey Kahne 2345 55 36 4 2 12 19 4 $4,721,971
5 +2 Greg Biffle 2332 68 36 3 2 12 21 0 $5,683,998
6 -1 Denny Hamlin 2329 71 36 3 5 14 17 4 $6,922,136
7 -1 Matt Kenseth 2324 76 36 1 3 13 19 1 $7,528,332
8 - Kevin Harvick 2321 79 36 0 1 5 14 2 $5,787,916
9 - Tony Stewart 2311 89 36 1 3 12 16 2 $6,601,185
10 +1 Jeff Gordon 2303 97 36 2 2 11 18 5 $6,113,129
11 -1 Martin Truex Jr. 2299 101 36 1 0 7 19 2 $5,291,626
12 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2245 155 34 1 1 10 20 0 $5,165,255
13 - Kyle Busch 1133 1267 36 2 1 13 20 4 $6,559,391
14 - Ryan Newman 1051 1349 36 0 1 6 14 5 $5,431,951
15 - Carl Edwards 1030 1370 36 1 0 3 13 2 $5,344,175
16 - Paul Menard 1006 1394 36 0 0 1 9 1 $4,062,235
17 - Joey Logano 965 1435 36 2 1 2 12 3 $4,050,163
18 - Marcos Ambrose 950 1450 36 2 1 3 8 4 $4,767,873
19 - Jeff Burton 883 1517 36 0 0 2 6 2 $5,163,065
20 - Jamie McMurray 868 1532 36 0 0 0 3 4 $4,567,468
21 - Aric Almirola 868 1532 36 1 0 1 4 3 $4,785,031
22 - Juan Pablo Montoya 810 1590 36 2 0 0 2 5 $4,494,049
23 - Bobby Labonte 772 1628 36 0 0 0 2 2 $4,131,879
24 - Regan Smith 747 1653 34 0 0 1 4 4 $3,946,540
25 - Kurt Busch 735 1665 35 0 0 1 5 6 $4,064,608
26 - Mark Martin 701 1699 24 4 0 4 10 5 $2,863,683
27 - Travis Kvapil 638 1762 35 0 0 0 1 3 $3,607,246
28 - David Ragan 622 1778 36 0 0 1 2 5 $3,613,656
29 - Casey Mears 612 1788 36 0 0 0 0 11 $3,537,774
30 - David Gilliland 605 1795 36 0 0 0 0 4 $3,494,350
31 - Landon Cassill 598 1802 36 0 0 0 0 4 $4,178,755
32 - A J Allmendinger 453 1947 21 1 0 1 3 3 $2,958,285
33 - Dave Blaney 417 1983 34 0 0 0 0 19 $2,935,774
34 - David Reutimann 373 2027 25 0 0 0 0 8 $2,255,278
35 - Brian Vickers 250 2150 8 0 0 3 5 1 $774,435
36 - David Stremme 236 2164 28 0 0 0 0 23 $2,457,431
37 - Michael McDowell 187 2213 30 0 0 0 0 24 $2,465,274
38 - J.J. Yeley 166 2234 24 0 0 0 0 16 $1,914,170
39 - Josh Wise 147 2253 30 0 0 0 0 29 $2,333,560
40 - Ken Schrader 146 2254 13 0 0 0 0 2 $1,191,740
41 - Stephen Leicht 126 2274 15 0 0 0 0 10 $1,332,865
42 - Scott Speed 124 2276 17 0 0 0 0 14 $1,387,953
43 - Michael Waltrip 94 2306 4 0 0 0 1 1 $396,472
44 -1 Terry Labonte 94 2306 4 0 0 0 0 1 $582,995
45 - Tony Raines 71 2329 7 0 0 0 0 5 $788,728
46 - Scott Riggs 56 2344 20 0 0 0 0 20 $1,496,515
47 - Brendan Gaughan 50 2350 4 0 0 0 0 1 $354,559
48 - Boris Said 34 2366 2 0 0 0 0 0 $167,290
49 - Bill Elliott 14 2386 2 0 0 0 0 2 $196,098
50 - Hermie Sadler 13 2387 1 0 0 0 0 0 $80,610
51 - Robby Gordon 11 2389 3 0 0 0 0 3 $405,300
52 -1 Mike Olsen 11 2389 1 0 0 0 0 0 $81,735
53 - Mike Skinner 10 2390 4 0 0 0 0 4 $340,850
54 - Kelly Bires 9 2391 3 0 0 0 0 3 $222,024
55 - Tomy Drissi 6 2394 1 0 0 0 0 1 $76,242
56 - Stacy Compton 5 2395 1 0 0 0 0 1 $64,225
57 - David Mayhew 4 2396 1 0 0 0 0 1 $72,625
58 - Patrick Long 2 2398 1 0 0 0 0 1 $61,555

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Check Out the below Links to some great articles on Dodge's Win
Enjoy!


Brad Keselowski wins Sprint Cup title
Updated: November 18, 2012, 8:01 PM ET
Associated Press

Brad Keselowski clinched his first Sprint Cup title after Jimmie Johnson was sidelined with mechanical problems at Homestead.

LINK:

Brad Keselowski wins Sprint Cup title to deliver elusive championship to Penske

The kid who stole the show at the season-opening Daytona 500 ended the year under the biggest spotlight of them all Sunday, beating five-time champion Jimmie Johnson to deliver the first Sprint Cup championship to Penske Racing.

LINK:

So long, Bad Brad
Soon, Keselowski may be known by another name -- Sprint Cup champion

Granted, he's difficult to forget. All those Nationwide Series run-ins with Denny Hamlin, the ugly Sprint Cup rivalry with Carl Edwards, the sight of that red No. 12 Dodge flipping over onto its hood at Atlanta (watch), early-morning peace summits with NASCAR officials -- it all left an impression and created an image, one that fairly or not followed Brad Keselowski wherever he went. This was the guy who held his line at Talladega and never expressed any remorse, who did it all with that devilish smile, who competed with a style that literally and figuratively could rub people the wrong way.

Some of that guy is still around, of course, evident in the door-banging finish two weeks ago at Texas (watch) or the way he's steadfastly refused to play it safe even in the later stages of this title Chase. But this week at Homestead-Miami Speedway he's been replaced by another version of the same driver, this one years in the making, who by Sunday evening could be known by another, altogether different moniker.

Sprint Cup champion.

LINK:


Dodge says goodbye, gets ultimate parting gift
By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer
Posted: 11/18/2012 01:33:19 PM PST

Brad Keselwoski competes during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at... ((AP Photo/Alan Diaz))
HOMESTEAD, Fla.—Dodge said goodbye to NASCAR on Sunday.

And got the ultimate parting gift.

Dodge driver Brad Keselowski won the Sprint Cup championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, giving longtime NASCAR owner Roger Penske his first series title and setting off a wild celebration in Victory Lane that surely will carry long into the night.

Penske Racing's rising star finished 15th in the season finale, but he clinched the title when his closest contender, Jimmie Johnson, had a catastrophic gear issue with 43 laps remaining.

So instead of getting one victory lap, Keselowski got about 40.

And no one enjoyed it more than Dodge.

"An amazing accomplishment for everyone for sure," said Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of Dodge's SRT Brand and Motorsports. "Obviously this project wasn't one that started yesterday. This has been an 11-year run with a lot of talented people who spend countless hours to make this championship possible. That's the Dodge way. It's always been the Dodge way.

"The underdogs came up and did it today. Three years ago, people were looking at us sideways when put this deal together. Everybody grew from it. From Brad to Penske to Dodge. To go out on top it makes it all worthwhile."

It was Dodge's first Cup championship since Richard Petty won in 1975.

LINK:

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Night


Friday, November 30, 2012 SPEED

Friday, November 30, 2012: Sprint Cup Awards Banquet on SPEED 8:00pm/et
Saturday, December 1, 2012: Sprint Cup Awards Banquet (re-air) on SPEED 12:00am/et

08:00 PM, EST

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the most popular form of motorsports in the United States. MRN Radio provides live coverage of 27 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in 2012 from the legendary races at DAYTONA to the NASCAR Awards Banquet in Las Vegas.


Location / Track: The Wynn Casino Las Vegas




THURSDAY November 29th 8:00PM ET SPEED
NASCAR Awards Ceremony
Nationwide & Camping World Truck Series

Coverage of the season ending presentation of awards in the NASCAR Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series, held at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.

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Dodge and SRT Motorsports celebrates in victory lane with Penske Racing after Brad Keselowski wins the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway

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Dodge Wins NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship
November 18, 2012 , HOMESTEAD, Fla. -

WEEKEND MOTORSPORTS RECAP

KESELOWSKI GIVES DODGE FIRST SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE 1975

• Keselowski Gives Penske Racing First NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship

• Hornish Finishes Fourth In Final Nationwide Point Standings

• Late-Race Accident Ends Blaney’s NCWTS Season on Disappointing Note

CHASE FOR THE SPRINT CUP
Throughout the 2012 season, pundits questioned whether a two-car team could challenge the bigger multi-car teams for the biggest prize in NASCAR. The question was answered Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway – ABSOLUTELY – if the driver is Brad Keselowski and the team is the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger from Penske Racing – The Michigan Connection.

Keselowski played it safe in the closing laps after clinching the title when five-time champion Jimmie Johnson had mechanical problems late in the race. He finished 16th but that was secondary to the ultimate goal, the Sprint Cup. It’s the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship for Dodge since 1975 (Richard Petty) and the first ever Sprint Cup title for Roger Penske and Penske Racing.

Final 2012 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings
1. BRAD KESELOWSKI 2400 7. Matt Kenseth -76
2. Clint Bowyer 39 8. Kevin Harvick -79
3. Jimmie Johnson -40 9. Tony Stewart -89
4. Kasey Kahne -55 10. Jeff Gordon -97
5. Greg Biffle -68 11. Martin Truex Jr. -101
6. Denny Hamlin -71 12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -155


NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (NSCS)
Brad Keselowski is the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion. Roger Penske has his first title in NASCAR’s premier series, a quest which started in 1972 and 12 years before Keselowski was born. Dodge claimed its fifth title and first since 1975 with Richard Petty. It comes in the third full season of competition in NASCAR’s premier series for the Rochester Hills native.

Keselowski needed 125 starts to win his first championship, the fewest starts since Jeff Gordon in 1995 (93). In the 10-race Chase, he had two wins, three top-five and eight top-10 finishes. For the year, the ledger reads five wins along with 13 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes.

“I’ve got the best team in racing and I’m just so thrilled to be a part of it,” said Keselowski. “They made incredible sacrifices and I’m just so fortunate to have them
around me. I couldn’t do it without the support of everyone on the Miller Lite Dodge.”

The Twitter-loving driver claimed the title by a 39-point advantage but the afternoon wasn’t without its share of anxious moments. In fact at one point Jimmie Johnson had turned the 20-point deficit he faced entering the event into a seven-point advantage when the “Blue Deuce” was off sequence with the five-time champion.

Crew chief Paul Wolfe called for a pit stop for fuel on lap 206. It’s turned out to be a critical call as the “Blue Deuce” sputtered onto pit road, out of fuel. When he returned to the track, it was critical the green-flag cycle run its course.

Johnson’s championship hopes began to unravel just a few laps later. During his green-flag stop, a missing lug nut on the left rear forced a pass-through penalty which put the No. 48 a lap down. The knockout blow came on Lap 224 when the No. 48 retired with mechanical problems (driveline). He finished 36th.

From there, Wolfe and the No. 2 Dodge team played it safe, taking on four tires during the final pit stop. Keselowski finished 15th.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment for everyone,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT Brand and Motorsports. “Obviously this project wasn’t one that started yesterday. A lot of talented people have spent countless hours to make this championship possible. That’s the Dodge way. It’s always been the Dodge way.”

Keselowski is the second driver in NASCAR history to both win the Sprint Cup and the Nationwide Series championships. He won the Nationwide title in a Dodge Challenger in 2010. The other driver was Bobby Labonte who accomplished the fete.

It was probably destiny that Keselowski won both championships in a Dodge. His father, Bob, was a long-time Dodge/RAM competitor and was quick to show his loyalty during the victory celebration by saying “winning the championship in a Dodge is icing on the cake.”

Penske has been fielding cars in NASCAR since 1972. His previous best finish in the standings came in 1993 when NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Rusty Wallace finished second.

“I want to thank Dodge for what they’ve done and certainly Miller Lite and Shell/Pennzoil,” said Penske. “I just can’t take my hat off enough to all the great guys on our team from Brad, Paul Wolfe (crew chief), Travis Geisler (Director of Competition) and when you think about Mike Nelson (Vice President of Operations) and all those guys who build these great engines – not one failure all year in that Dodge engine. This win goes to all the servicemen around the world who have done so much to keep us safe and secure. For me, it’s just a double-win.”

The championship has special meaning for Keselowski after the torrid 10-race Chase with Johnson, the five-time champion. “He’s the best,” said Keselowski. “He proved it here today. He was going to win this damn race. I know that. We were not as
fast as we wanted to be and we’d be the first to admit that but my guys never gave up. We kept working and at the end we were back up enough to where it wouldn’t have mattered if he’s won. That made me feel a lot better. My guys did a great job all year long and especially in the Chase. I’m lucky to have them.”

Sam Hornish Jr. ran in the top 10 much of the day in the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger. Hornish had to make an extra pit stop late in the race for fuel and finished 22nd.

“I wanted to finish a lot better than 22nd but I didn’t have any false hopes that we were going to win today,” said Hornish. “Our car wasn’t good enough to do that but I was very happy that we were good enough to run in the top 10 most of the day.

“I had a good feeling after the first race in the Chase when Brad was able to win. I’m really happy for Brad. I’m really happy for Roger and Dodge especially for letting me go out on a high note. Wish we could have done a little bit better.”

Jeff Gordon took the win with Clint Bowyer second. Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle rounded out the top five.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES (NNS)
Sam Hornish Jr. posted his 12th top-five finish of the season in Saturday’s Nationwide race at Homestead-Miami Speedway to clinch fourth in the season point standings. He rallied from an unscheduled green-flag pit stop for a flat tire to finish fourth in the 300-mile event at the 1.5-mile oval.

"We had one of those nights where we had a really good car,” said Hornish. “We just didn’t have what we needed at the end. We cut a tire under green. That got us out of sequence with the rest of the field. We were able to come back and have a top-five run which is good for the moral of the guys who fought so hard tonight. We wish we could have done better for Dodge, Alliance Truck Parts and Wurth."

In the 33-race series season, Hornish had 28 top-10 finishes.
Regan Smith claimed the victory in his first start for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports. It was his first win in 103 Nationwide races. He will run the full Nationwide schedule for JR Motorsports in 2013.

Rickey Stenhouse Jr. became the sixth driver in Nationwide history to win back-to-back championships, using a sixth-place finish to clinch the title. He finished 23 points in front of second-place Elliott Sadler.

Hornish started 11th in the No. 12 Alliance Truck Parts Dodge but quickly worked his way into the top 10. He led once for six laps and stayed among the leaders until the tire issue surfaced, forcing the unscheduled pit stop. Two cautions in the final 25 laps gave Hornish the opportunity to get back in sequence with the leaders and challenge for a top-five finish.

“Our Dodge was really fast,” said Hornish. “The 5 car (Smith) was fast. There were times that we were better, just not at the end of the race. We just didn't have track position at the end of the race and had to come from 11th to try to run down the leaders. Our Dodge was fast. The car was really good at times and felt strong."

Hornish will be running a full Nationwide schedule with Penske Racing in 2013. “I’d like to have brought home a win in my last Nationwide race with Dodge,” he said. “We battled all night and I'm proud of my guys who overcame a cut tire and helped me race to a top-five. I'm really excited to get the opportunity to run a full Nationwide Series schedule next year. I hope that we can build off the success of this year and parlay it into a better season. I'm proud of my team. We worked hard all year and raced as hard as we could in our Alliance Truck Parts Dodge."

The second driver from Penske Racing, Ryan Blaney, drove the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger to an eighth-place finish, his seventh top 10 in 13 starts in the series this season.

“This is a very difficult mile-and-a-half,” said Blaney. “There’s little room for error when you’re running right up next to the wall. There’s little room for error. It’s a very tough race track, pretty tough to pass too. But it makes for fun racing.”

NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES (NCWTS)
The 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season ended on a disappointing note Friday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway for Ryan Blaney and the No. 29 RAM team from Brad Keselowski Racing but there are plenty of positive take-aways that will provide an abundance of motivation for the off-season.

Blaney was collected in a three-truck mishap with just three laps remaining, knocking the 18-year-old driver out of a potential top-10 finish in his first trip to the 1.5-mile track. He finished 28th.

Blaney ends the season with a win along with two top-five and six top-10 finishes in nine starts in the series. Along the way, the son of Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney drew plenty of attention with his driving skills.

Blaney started 16th in the contest scheduled for 134 laps and ran in the top 10 much of the event despite dealing with an ill-handling track. Running 11th, Blaney was collected in a mishap involving Ty Dillon and Kyle Larson in Turn 4. The No. 29 RAM was clipped as Blaney tried to miss the accident and turned into the outside retaining wall.

The three-truck crash forced NASCAR to briefly halt the race for track cleanup efforts and set up a green-white-checkered finish.

“It was a hard hit,” said Blaney of the contact with the retaining wall. “We struggled a little bit all night and really couldn’t find the speed we needed to race up front. I really wish we could have at least finished. I think we could have wrestled a decent finish out of it.”

Cale Gale claimed his first career victory in the series, banging fenders with Kyle Busch and crowding him against the wall over the final 100 yards to take the victory. James Buescher finished 13th to win the series championship by six points over Timothy Peters.

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This Week in Motorsports -- Week of November 19 - YouTube

This Week in Motorsports -- Week of November 19 - YouTube

Nov 19, 2012 by PentastarVideo

You could say Penske Racing's Brad Keselowski lost the battle but won the war.
The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger finished 15th Sunday in the final NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup race of the season at Homestead-Miami, but it was good enough to win the 2012 Chase Championship.
Sam Hornish, Jr., finished strong on the NASCAR Nationwide circuit, while Ryan Blaney suffered a disappointing finish in Camping World Truck Series action.

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Ralph Gilles Podcast on Keselowski's 2012 Sprint Cup Championship - YouTube

Ralph Gilles Podcast on Keselowski's 2012 Sprint Cup Championship - YouTube

Nov 19, 2012 by PentastarVideo

You could say Penske Racing's Brad Keselowski lost the battle but won the war.

The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger finished 15th Sunday in the final NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup race of the season at Homestead-Miami, but it was good enough to win the 2012 Chase Championship.

Ralph Gilles, President & CEO, SRT Brand and Motorsports, was part of the post-race celebration, and talks to Pete Misiak from Chrysler Electronic Communications.