Texas II: Keselowski - Dodge Friday interview

BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger)

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW MUCH? "Not much. I'm just thinking about today. One day at a time."

SO THE POTENTIAL OF WINNING THE NATIONWIDE CHAMPIONSHIP ISN'T A DISTRACTION? "I'm focused on today, getting the most I could out of my cars and driving them 100 percent."

YOU WERE 25TH IN THE NATIONWIDE PRACTICE TODAY. HOW MUCH WILL THAT HAVE AN AFFECT ON YOU? "Well, I tore that car up pretty good. The team did a great job fixing that car as well. I think it will be just as good as it was, maybe a little better."

PARKER KLIGERMAN IS DRIVING YOUR NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK THIS WEEKEND. ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT A FULL-TIME TRUCK EFFORT NEXT WEEKEND? Absolutely. I'm trying really hard. Not just for myself, but for Dodge and for Ram. It would be a great program to have. This whole deal is about depth. Obviously the contraction to two Cup teams and there's personnel, it would be great to find a spot for them. Things of that nature are of interest. Some kind of program for getting the depth back that would be lost by having that third team. Hopefully, I can help out Penske Racing if it all lines up. At the same time, have some fun and win some races as car owner, maybe build a brand."

WOULD IT BE A ONE-TEAM, SPLIT-DRIVER LINEUP? "One of the scenarios, yeah, absolutely. I'd love to run Parker (Kligerman). He's really talented. I think that he can do a lot for this sport. It's important for him to be successful. He needs to run more than once a month. He needs to be able to run a full deal. The talent that he's shown and what he's doing running once a month is, in my eyes, quite remarkable. I think that he has the potential to be a star in this sport, giving the right opportunities. Unfortunately, the way things are right now, it's really hard to get those. I'm hoping that we'll be able to put together a program with Penske with sponsorships and different sources to do it."

WOULD THIS BE A WAY TO GET DODGE THE PRESENCE BACK IN THE TRUCK SERIES? "Yeah, absolutely. Dodge was a staple in the truck series numerous years back in the days when my dad drove. That was something that he always held in high regard and I'd like to see that return."

DO YOU FEEL THE CUP SERIES PROGRAM HAS STARTED TO TURN AROUND A BIT FOR YOU? "I think that we're getting finishes. That's important. It's important to put stats up on the board. I don't necessarily think the performance has changed, but for some reason, we're just getting the finishes at the end of the day. And at the end of the day, that's the most important thing."

-source: dodge motorsports