COCHRAN, Ga. – Brad Keselowski will go dirt racing this weekend to gain valuable experience ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series’ return to dirt later this month.
Keselowski will prepare himself for the Food City Dirt Race at a dirt-covered Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway by competing in a crate late model Friday night at Cochran (Ga.) Motor Speedway.
The three-eighths-mile dirt track will host the $20,000-to-win Gobbler 100 for dirt super late models on Saturday evening, with the crate late model race Friday serving as the warmup act.
Keselowski, who won the NASCAR Cup Series championship with Team Penske in 2012, is looking to hone his dirt-track skills ahead of the March 28 Cup Series event at Bristol, which marks the first dirt race for NASCAR’s premier division since 1970.
He’ll wheel the No. 2k Rocket XR-1 Chassis crate late model, with primary sponsorship from Carolina Sim Works.
Keselowski previously competed on dirt in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway in 2015.
“I’m looking forward to getting on track at Cochran Motor Speedway Friday night,” Keselowski wrote on social media Wednesday morning. “A little time on the dirt sounds like a good idea to this guy.”
Keselowski is the latest in a host of NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have announced extracurricular plans on dirt in advance of the Bristol NASCAR weekend later this month.
Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, Corey LaJoie, Kyle Larson and Keselowski’s Team Penske teammate, Joey Logano, will all race at the Bristol Dirt Nationals in various divisions. That event takes place at The Last Great Coliseum from March 15-20.
Friday’s gate times at Cochran see the pit gates open at 12 p.m. and the grandstand gates follow at 3 p.m. The drivers meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. and hot laps crank up at 6 p.m.
Pit admission is $45, while kids ages six to 10 are $20. Regular grandstand admission is $30, with kids age six to 10 $15 in the stands. Any fans ages five and under are admitted to the pits or the grandstands at Cochran for free.