Stay classy, Brad Keselowski.
The 27-year-old driver had a literal front-row seat for history on Saturday, as Danica Patrick turned in the best performance ever by a woman in a national NASCAR race. She finished fourth in a Nationwide Series race in Las Vegas, right behind Keselowski.
But instead of saluting Patrick's feat, the defending Nationwide champ turned as green as the starter's flag. Right after the race, Keselowski tweeted:
"I'll go ahead and say tv skipped me for Danica. Imagine that..."
Exactly what history did Keselowski make on Saturday? Maybe he's the first driver to lose a race because of a last-lap flat -- while driving a car sponsored by Discount Tire. Would Keselowski have been pleased if TV cameras skipped Danica to ask him if he was considering switching to AAA?
More than an hour later, Keselowski threw it into reverse, tweeting, "haha In fairness, She did run really well" and then "I truly am happy for her She ran well."
But he still didn't seem to get it. When a Twitter follower asked Keselowski if he felt Danica's historic finish was more of a story than his flat tire, Keselowski replied: "that's for u the fan to decide... exactly y tv must treat us the same."
Not quite. TV must find the most significant story and report it in the limited time it has on the air. There are several better drivers than Danica Patrick on the NASCAR circuit, including Keselowski himself. But none are women. She's often a story when she runs poorly, and she's even more of a story when she runs well. It may not always be fair, but as the saying goes, "That's racin."
So a word of advice for Brad Keselowski: Next time use the spare, and next time spare us the pity party.
