NASCAR Cup Series

Brad Keselowski searching for first win at home track

Published Jun. 7, 2016 4:54 p.m. ET

foxsports

As a Rochester Hills, Mich. native, Brad Keselowski has many great memories of traveling to Michigan International Speedway with his family as a child.

"I think some of my fondest memories were just pulling in the gate and seeing the overwhelming infield at Michigan International Speedway -- just full of campers and full of people," Keselowski said. "I just remember want to get a football, wanting to get a bike and play in the infield with the other kids and just have a good time."

Keselowski grew up watching his favorite NASCAR Premier Series drivers win on the 2.5-mile oval, and now he's searching for a victory of his own in the Irish Hills.

"Michigan will always be my home track, and that puts it at a whole other level compared to other tracks of wanting to win in front of your family and friends in the place you recognize as home," said Keselowski.

The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford is coming off an up-and-down race at Pocono Raceway. After being penalized early in the event for an "unapproved body modification" during a pit stop, Keselowski rebounded to finish third.

With four-straight top-10 finishes at MIS, Keselowski says he needs to step it up to have shot at Victory Lane in the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday at Michigan (FS1, 1 p.m. ET).

"We've had a lot of good runs at Michigan and opportunities to win races where we've just fallen a little bit short," Keselowski said. "I think we just need a little bit more speed and I need to execute at just a tiny bit higher level and we can win there."

Winning would not only be special for Keselowski, but it would also be huge for Team Penske and owner Roger Penske.

"Roger [Penske] used to own Michigan International Speedway and it's a track that he holds dear to his heart," he said. "It's my home track. It's the 50th year for Team Penske. All these things are lining up."

So, just how big would a win be for the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion?

"If we could win Michigan, it would be one of the biggest wins of my career -- if not the biggest."