Brad Keselowski Showed Maturity At Martinsville

It was certainly an arguable point that Brad Keselowski had a better car than Denny Hamlin over the closing stretch at Martinsville on Sunday. Watching the No. 2 all over the back of Hamlin’s car was enough to make longtime fans of NASCAR a bit uncomfortable. Sure, the racing was exciting, but fans have seen Keselowski in that kind of position before, and run-ins with other drivers have become commonplace for the 2012 champion.

Keselowski’s uncompromising aggressiveness in the past has gotten him into confrontations with everyone from Hamlin t0 Carl Edwards, to even Jeff Gordon; on Sunday, however, he never stepped over the line, battling Hamlin hard but clean all the way back to the finish line. Hamlin, who had some words for Keselowski until Kenseth physically confronted him last year at Charlotte, even credited Keselowski after the race.

But maybe Keselowski’s drama-free Sunday is just a microcosm of the season thus far. Think about it. Keselowski is currently third in points with a win at Auto Club that, for all intents and purposes, punched his ticket into the Chase. Yet, he has avoided headlines and problems all season. While his car hasn’t had the best of speed, he has used consistency to stay near the top of the standings.

It’s difficult to label 2014 as anything but a missed opportunity for Keselowski after he won a series-best six races, yet missed out on making the championship race. It’s also hard to make the connection between his late-season failure and all of the off-track drama Keselowski was involved in.

This much is certain, however: Keselowski is well on his way to a quiet, championship-contending year.

Ryan Pritt is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @RPritt, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.