If a certain home improvement store sponsored Chevrolet hadn’t spoiled the show at Bristol, we might have seen a Penske clean sweep of the weekend.  But even without the win on Sunday, Bristol showed that the Penske cars have come to play in 2010.

On Saturday at Thunder Valley, Penske’s newly expanded Nationwide Series program stole the show.  Sophomore driver Justin Allgaier picked up his first ever NNS win, while teammate Brad Keselowski took the pole, led 72 laps, and finished second.  Keselowski looked to be the one to beat, but Allgaier got by him on a late restart and never looked back.  Following the race, Keselowski and Allgaier sit second and third in the NNS points, and both trail point leader Carl Edwards by less then 40 points.

After winning the last race at Atlanta, Kurt Busch dominated on Sunday at Bristol, leading 278 laps.  A third place finish behind winner Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart was disappointing for the veteran driver, but it appears as though the transition period for Busch and new crew chief Steve Addington is all but over.  The blue deuce currently sits sixth in the standings, and this team will certainly be a factor this season.

Besides his strong Nationwide Series runs this season, Keselowski has certainly elevated the performance of the #12 cup car at Penske.  Brad K. finished 13th at Bristol after leading a few laps, and was poised for a top five run at Atlanta before the infamous “flip” took him out of the race.  The team sits 30th in the standings, but has run better then the results show.

Roger Penske, Tim Cindric, and the management at Penske Racing have made some great moves lately to build a solid foundation with drivers like Keselowski and Allgaier along with Busch and Sam Hornish (if he ever figures stock car racing out).  And adding veteran leadership in the likes of guys like Steve Addington, Jay Guy, Chad Walter, and Paul Wolfe have really helped the performance of all the Penske teams.

As the only company-backed team left for Dodge in NASCAR, Penske has done a great job so far this season of carrying the banner.  The future certainly looks bright for this bunch, and a pair of championship trophies to add to Mr. Penske’s trophy case is a definite possibility in 2010.

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