Brad Keselowski served notice of his intent to compete for the 2007 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award with a strong showing in the NASCAR Busch Series season finale behind the wheel of the #23 Ridley Motorcycles Chevrolet at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday.

In a field of 52 entries, Keselowski qualified 17th for the race, starting just behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. and in front of other cup regulars like Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle. Unfortunately for Keselowski, mechanical problems cropped up early in the race and forced him to come in for repairs after about 20 laps. The car was fixed and Keselowski returned to the track and finished in 39th position.

"I'm disappointed because we qualified so well that I really thought we could have had a good run today," said Keselowski. "The Ridley Motorcycles Chevrolet was really good but we had a problem with the alternator. It didn't work out, but that doesn't take anything away from what we were able to do here."

For Keselowski, the race was the last of seven consecutive events for which he successfully qualified, an impressive task for a rookie from an independent team. He also finished 24th in the Ford 200 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Friday night.
"I can't say enough about what Brad has done," said Ronnie Griffin, crew chief. "He came in and energized this team. We've finished the season strong and we've got a lot of confidence in Brad as we head into 2007."

Team owner Keith Coleman echoed those sentiments while commenting on the team's season. "I'm proud of Brad, Ronnie, the crew and the whole organization," said Keith Coleman. "I also have to give credit to Tony Clements of Clements Racing Engines for supplying us with the horsepower to compete, Will Jones of Speedway Fabrication for the great body work they've done and Bob Keselowski who has been a huge part of our success by helping with the car set-ups in the shop.

"I especially want to thank Ridley Motorcycles for having the vision and confidence in KCR to become a part of this team. We've gone through some tough times this season but the guys really stuck together and we worked through it. Now, with Clements Racing Engines, Speedway Fabrication and Bob Keselowski on board, we feel that we're positioned to have a great year in 2007."