Edwards, Keselowski, Menard making Wisconsin-California commute for NASCAR double duty weekend

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Edwards, Keselowski, Menard try NASCAR double duty

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — For NASCAR drivers, jet-setting between Wisconsin and California is a familiar part of June.

This weekend, however, one of the venues is new and a few of the logistics have been tweaked for NASCAR drivers crisscrossing the country to compete in both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series races.

Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard will drive in the Nationwide race at Wisconsin’s Road America on Saturday afternoon, then fly to Sonoma, Calif., in time for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway.

And yes, racing rivals Edwards and Keselowski — who famously tangled on the track at Atlanta earlier in the season — will be taking separate airplanes.

“The FAA requested it,” Keselowski said. “Just kidding.”

Edwards has made the most of his commute in recent years, winning the past two Nationwide races at the Milwaukee Mile. But those races might be the Mile’s last gasp, at least as far as NASCAR is concerned. Facing financial problems, the historic oval has withdrawn from hosting major racing events.

Taking its place on the Nationwide schedule is Road America, a four-mile road course that zigzags through a park-like setting in scenic central Wisconsin.

The Mile’s race was held at night, but Saturday’s race at Road America will take place in the afternoon.

That has forced double-duty drivers to tweak their schedules: Instead of trying to practice at Sonoma on Saturday morning and then hightail it to Wisconsin for the race that night, as they did at the Mile, drivers now must skip Saturday’s Sprint Cup practice session.

It actually will make life a little less hectic for drivers — Edwards once had to sprint through the garage at Milwaukee to make it to his car in time, and Denny Hamlin once missed the start of the Milwaukee race because his helicopter couldn’t find anywhere to land — but perhaps tougher on their teams.

“I think it’s the easiest on us, because of being able to get some sleep (on the plane),” Keselowski said. “But it’s probably harder on our teams because we’re going to miss some time from both of them.”

Edwards, Keselowski and Menard joined the rest of the Nationwide drivers at Road America for a practice session Thursday. They’ll fly out to Sonoma for Sprint Cup practice and qualifying on Friday, then return to Wisconsin on Friday night.

Despite his success at Milwaukee, Edwards said he’s relishing the challenge of learning a new track.

“I really loved racing at Milwaukee, and hopefully we’ll get to race there again sometime,” Edwards said. “But like I said before, I haven’t thought about that once yet this weekend just because I’m having so much fun.”

The local knowledge edge goes to Menard, who grew up going to the track as a fan and has raced there before. He was fastest in Thursday morning’s practice.

“It’s great to be back,” said Menard. “This is my favorite race track in the country.”

Things haven’t been quite as smooth for Keselowski and Edwards.

Keselowski said his car slid off the track in Turn 6, a sharp left-hander that comes immediately after the crest of a steep hill, early in practice.

“I was the first car on the racetrack, and the first car off the racetrack,” Keselowski said. “So I’ve got those two covered.”

Edwards said he was warned about “the kink,” a high-speed bend that leads into a heavy braking zone, by a friend who used to race motorcycles at Road America.

“I got down into the corner, I’m like, ‘Whoa! That’s what he’s talking about,’” Edwards said. “To me, that’s the part of the track I’m having to focus on the most.”

Edwards said he even got some advice from a fan during a break.

“They watch us go through corners, and I know they’re going, ‘What an idiot,’” Edwards said. “I’m going in way too deep, I pitch the thing sideways and hit the curb, and they’re thinking, ‘Man, these NASCAR guys.’ My point is, there’s a lot of really educated fans.”

For all its challenges, Edwards was impressed by the track’s scenery.

“It’s a beautiful place,” Edwards said. “It’s just really aesthetically pleasing.”

Aesthetically?

“That’s a good word,” Menard quipped.