NASCAR Cup Series

Brad Keselowski goes from the outhouse to the penthouse

Published Oct. 20, 2014 9:15 a.m. ET

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Darrell Waltrip

Well in one week, Brad Keselowski went from the bad guy to the good guy. He did it in style, I might add. You have to admit, the kid has talent and the kid has guts. The moves he made Sunday at the end of the race at Talladega were breathtaking at times. He was darting, diving and blocking when necessary -- basically whatever he had to do because he had to win. I saw him make some wicked moves and the best part of watching him put his talent on display is he did it neither recklessly nor dangerously. It was just a collection of some sweet, calculated moves.

Talladega once again lived up to its expectations. It was wildly unpredictable. We expected to see someone walk out of there happy. We expected to see someone walk out of there sad and we expected to see someone walk out of there mad. Once again, Talladega didn't disappoint because when it was all over Sunday that was exactly what happened.

I felt sorry for Kyle Busch. He got taken out of the race by a wreck not of his own doing. His team did an amazing job to get him back on the track but it was simply too little -- too late. The same can be said for Dale Earnhardt Jr. He had run a really good race because he knew winning was his only option Sunday if he wanted to move on. We don't and won't really know if he had a winning car because he got taken out.

Jimmie Johnson, another one of those that had to win, had a dominant car. He started up front and stayed there all day. Jimmie looked like the guy to beat most of the day. Unfortunately those last couple of restarts simply didn't work out in his favor. That's part of what makes Talladega so unpredictable. If you pick the wrong line, or pick the wrong partner or don't get the help when needed, you can go from first place all the way back to 20th in a single lap.

Like we predicted it was a crazy race. It was, like I said, unpredictable and crazy to watch. In the end it was Keselowski that was able to hold everyone off, get the much needed win and advance he and that No. 2 car into the third round of the Chase. I still think it was amazing what Brad did. He had that pressure going into the race of knowing he had to win to move on to the next round and so he simply went out there and did what he needed to do

And then there were only eight as four drivers were eliminated Sunday from the Chase. When the checkered flag waved late Sunday afternoon at Talladega, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Johnson and Earnhardt saw their 2014 Chase dreams end. Think about that for a second. Three-fourths of the Hendrick Motorsports cars are now gone from the Chase field.

It's time for the beginning of the Eliminator Round of the Chase and there's no better place to do it at The Paperclip -- Martinsville Speedway. Following that is Texas Motor Speedway and then we go even farther out West to Phoenix. I can see Jeff Gordon winning Martinsville. I can see one of the Penske cars winning at Texas and after his dominant performance there earlier this year, I can see Kevin Harvick winning at Phoenix.

If it plays out like that, then those are three of your four drivers that will race for the Championship with everything on the line at Homestead in mid-November. Who the fourth and final one of that group will be is something I'm not really sure about right now. I'm kind of leaning towards Matt Kenseth despite the fact he has yet to win a race this year. He's shown he's capable of winning almost anywhere so he's a possibility for seeing Victory Circle these in any of these next three races and make it to the final round.

So what we all thought a couple of months ago was going to be a Penske vs. Hendrick battle has changed somewhat. Jeff Gordon is the lone Hendrick car that is still in the Chase following Sunday's Talladega race. Both those Penske cars are as strong as ever now racking up their 11th win collectively of the season.

Jeff Gordon has won this year and been extremely consistent. His "Drive for Five" as in his fifth championship is alive and well with only four races to go. Don't be fooled, four races doesn't sound like a lot, but trust me, a lot can and probably will happen especially in this third round, which will set the table for the championship race at Homestead.

Yes, the season is winding down but I still maintain that we haven't seen all the surprises yet. Eight drivers still have a shot. Four more will be eliminated in three weeks by the time the Phoenix race is over. One storyline to watch is Ryan Newman. Despite a great fifth-place finish at Talladega, his car failed post-race inspection by NASCAR. The car was found to be too low but what bears remembering is that Ryan was involved in the wreck at Lap 102, so it's going to be interesting to see if that played any role in the car failing inspection after the race. So everyone will be keeping an eye on that.

So it's off to Martinsville like I mentioned for the first race in round three of the 2014 Chase. Better grab you one of their famous hot dogs and hang on tight because it's going to be some tight, tight racing. I can guarantee you there will be some bumping and some grinding. I also wouldn't be surprised to see some of those drivers that have been holding a grudge on another driver for the last few weeks maybe knock on the ol' Payback Door.

Even before all that action, this week marks the 5th Annual Waltrip Brothers Charity Championship that Michael and I will host over here in Franklin. Every year I say the same thing -- "It can't get any bigger!" and every year it does. We are so blessed to have Wynonna headlining our Champion's Dinner presented by Hendrickcars.com. NFL Hall of Famer and more importantly my friend Terry Bradshaw will be there. We have seven American Idols attending including this year's winner Caleb Johnson. All that plus we have two Olympic Gold Medalists attending which is a first for our charity event.

It's going to be a great week raising money for Motor Racing Outreach, Feed the Children and Tucker's House. We're going to have a lot of fun but more importantly we're going to raise a lot of money for three very worthy charities. Michael and I are simply thrilled to be able to support them this year.

VIDEO: Brad Keselowski NASCAR Victory Lane interview

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