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Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, drives during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 2, 2012 in Avondale, Arizona.
(March 1, 2012 – Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

AVONDALE, Ariz. – When it comes to news and social media, there’s no question that Brad Keselowski is NASCAR’s flavor of the week.

Not only is his race team making headlines by switching brands, he’s making a lot of new friends. Keselowski went from about 65,000 to about 200,000 Twitter followers during the Daytona 500 when he pulled out his cellphone to chronicle the events on the track during the red-flag delay of more than two hours.

“I quite honestly couldn’t keep up with what was going on (on Twitter), which is a good problem to have,” said Keselowski, up to more than 224,000 Twitter followers on Friday. “I was amazed that it got that much attention. … I’m in that 18-49 demographic (and) find myself asking, ‘What would I want to see?’

“To that end, that’s what I try to show.

“It’s always interesting to me how people react and how loud your voice can be in this sport. You have moments when you think, ‘No one’s listening. No one’s listening.’ Then, you have moments when you do something like that and, ‘Whoa, a lot of people are listening.’ ”

Keselowski had his phone out on the track, sharing photos of the fiery scene following Juan Pablo Montoya’s crash into a jet dryer under caution. Keselowski was seen chatting it up with other drivers during the delay.

He said his phone amazed Dale Earnhardt Jr. — in a low-tech way.

“He made fun of me because (mine’s) not organized,” Keselowski said. “If you’ve ever seen Dale Jr.’s phone in action, he has, I think, at least 40 folders, all full of apps and games. There’s no way he can use them all. I don’t use but one or two folders and the rest is all on different pages.

“He couldn’t believe I didn’t have them organized in 40 folders. He couldn’t believe I didn’t have more apps. It was like a whole new world to him. I told him I couldn’t believe he wasn’t on Twitter.”

Keselowski was apologetic Friday, sensing his social-media presence might have stolen limelight from race winner Matt Kenseth.

“I somewhat felt bad for Matt because he obviously won the biggest race of the year,” Keselowski said. “I’m sure he got a lot of attention but I didn’t mean to take any away from him.”

On Thursday, Keselowski learned that he — as a Penske Racing driver — would be joining Kenseth in the Ford family in 2013. Keselowski said he did not think Penske’s switch from Dodge would compromise his team’s ability to be competitive this year.

“We’re still in 2012, and I want to win a championship this year for Dodge and everybody else that makes it possible,” Keselowski said. “I think Dodge is committed. There are some classy people within Dodge who aren’t going to risk undermining the program this year.”

Keselowski also said he wasn’t concerned about Penske Racing playing second fiddle to Roush Fenway Racing in Ford’s stable.

“It’s my understanding we’ll be on a lateral platform with Roush Racing,” he said. “We’ll see how that works in action. But I’m quite sure that Roger (Penske) didn’t sign up to be a step below. That’s not his style.”

NASCAR said it would not penalize Keselowski for tweeting during the Daytona 500. (“We encourage out our drivers to use social media to express themselves as long as they do so without risking their safety or that of others,” NASCAR said in a statement.)

But several drivers wondered Friday whether the phone Keselowski used constituted an illegal computer in his car and how far NASCAR might go to permit the use of social media.

“Where does it end?” Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin said. “Do you text or tweet during cautions, then look up and run into the (next) guy? If I’m thinking about winning the race, I’m not thinking about social media when I’m under that green or yellow flag.”

Keselowski rationalized the concerns.

“You could definitely make an argument that a smartphone is a mini-computer, but it’s not like I had it plugged into anything,” he said. “I don’t know how you could use it to cheat, quite frankly. I think the ability to give access to the fans is worth any of those small ramifications.”

Praise for the Little Guy: Keselowski expressed appreciation for driver Dave Blaney and his team owner Tommy Baldwin, who had the lead when the Daytona 500 was halted after Montoya’s crash at 160 of 200 scheduled laps.

Had rain showers that were in the area enveloped Daytona, or if the track couldn’t be salvaged, Blaney could have been awarded the victory.

“I thought it was a great story, even though he didn’t win the race,” Keselowski said. “You look at a team —Tommy Baldwin Racing— this ‘devil team,’ so to speak, a start-and-park that everybody hates on, and you look at how they’ve been able to transition to being a team that had a shot at winning the Daytona 500. If that’s not the American dream, I don’t know what is.”

Montoya’s moment: Montoya suffered bruised feet in his fiery crash with a jet dryer at Daytona.

“My feet are still a little sore, but not bad,” he said Friday. “I’m pretty lucky to be honest. … I saw the flames everywhere and I’m like: ‘I’d better get out of this fast.’ People were kind of amazed that I walked out of that one. Everyone has been really supportive and everything. The bright side is you can joke about it.”

Comedy of Kenseth: One of the perks for Daytona 500 champ Kenseth was the chance to appear with comedian Jay Leno.

“(We) did a little rehearsal, and (he) even changed some jokes a little bit for me and added some things I thought were funnier,” Kenseth said. “He told me that if I thought it sounded better like this, to go ahead and do it. I had a really fun time doing that.”

Scott remembered:Wendell Scott, the only African-American driver to win a NASCAR Cup race (Dec. 1, 1963 in Jacksonville, Fla.) is being remembered this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

Scott, who died in 1990, will be recognized with a B-Post decal on all cars competing in the K&N Pro-Series West, Nationwide Series and Cup races. The recognition coincides with the anniversary of Scott’s first career start, March 4, 1961, in Spartanburg, S.C.

Pit notes:Ryan Newman was involved in a crash late in Friday’s Cup practice, forcing him to his backup car. Newman’s teammate Tony Stewart was fastest in the first practice. … Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is back for a second week, his name across the side of David Gilliland’s No. 38 Ford for Front Row Motorsports. Santorum sponsored the No. 26 Ford of Tony Raines in the Daytona 500. … Phoenix International Raceway, repaved after Jeff Gordon’s Cup victory last February, has burnished rubber into the track in attempts to enhance this weekend’s racing groove.

NASCAR: Keselowski sorry that Twitter fame dimmed Kenseth spotlight is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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