Brad Keselowski: 'I'm not buying into the villain thing'

Jeff Gluck | USA TODAY Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- If you are a Jeff Gordon fan or Brad Keselowski hater, do not read this story.

Your blood pressure will rise and your mood will sour.

Keselowski still isn't sorry for the move he pulled on Gordon last November at Texas Motor Speedway; in fact, he's glad he tried it and would do it again. And he doesn't plan to change a thing about the way he races; if anything, all his conflicts with veteran drivers have only reinforced his philosophies.

The 2012 Sprint Cup champion believes he's not only going to be a force for years to come, but thinks the generation coming into NASCAR behind him is weaker and less qualified than the current group of drivers.

If you don't see it that way, then Keselowski suggests taking another look.

"With the 5,000-foot view, which I feel like is where a lot of people get stuck, they say, 'Well, Brad's not making a lot of friends,' " he told USA TODAY Sports. "But I'm trying to look at a higher elevation than that. I'm trying to look at a 20,000- or 40,000-foot view of where I'm going to be five or 10 years from now.

"I feel like I'm doing things that are going to make me the guy to beat for the next five to 10 years. And there might be some heartburn, but that heartburn is temporary, and it's more than worth it to me looking at the longer view."

This is Keselowski at 31: Firmer than ever in his beliefs, unapologetically anti-establishment and determined not to back down.

In a lengthy interview with USA TODAY Sports in his motorhome at Daytona International Speedway, Keselowski explained why he has no remorse for the way he raced in last year's Chase for the Sprint Cup -- instigating fights and drawing fists -- and laid out why he thinks he's positioned for success in the next decade.

LOOKING AHEAD

Sitting with girlfriend Paige White, who is pregnant with the couple's first child (due in May), Keselowski seems most at ease when discussing his future.

When he thinks of how the sport will look 10 years from now, he sees himself on top of the heap. That's because most of today's star drivers will have retired – and he believes the generation behind them isn't filled with suitable talent to replace them.

Drivers such as Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick are all 39 or older and represent 10 Cup titles among them.

"Where are you going to find someone?" the Team Penske driver said. "You're going to have one or two that come through every two to three years, and that's not going to match the rate at which the Cup level is going to descend.

"I just don't see another Kevin Harvick, I don't see another Jeff Gordon -- not in the numbers that are going to retire in the next five years. We're going to lose 20 really good drivers in the next 10 years, and I don't see 20 replacements coming. I see maybe five to 10."

Keselowski believes many of the most talented drivers in the next generation will never get a chance due to the lack of funding.

Keselowski pointed to NASCAR's K&N East Series, which serves as a feeder for the national series, "where so-and-so's dad has $3 million and he's going to run him for the next year in the best car and you're never going to have a chance to beat him, even if you are better," he said.

"The guys who do have the talent and the work ethic to make it never get that shot, and they're being replaced by guys who come in and almost sabotage their own career and their own path," he added.

His own experiences trying to climb the NASCAR ladder and competing against a couple dozen Cup drivers in the Xfinity Series helped prepare him for stock car racing's top level, he said. But Keselowski doesn't believe the next crop of drivers will get that chance to grow.

"I feel bad for the next generation of race car drivers," he said. "I don't feel like, with the exception of the few Chase Elliotts and Kyle Larsons, that they will be able to replace the current group on even par. The entryway is harder than ever."

Keselowski believes he has staying power -- both for his career and his philosophies. He doesn't have to change, he said.

The sport is coming to him.

The Texas two-step

When Gordon announced his retirement from racing full-time, effective at the end of 2015, Keselowski sent him several text messages.

None of them were returned.

That's not surprising, since Gordon's bitterness over what happened at Texas last year is well-documented. And that incident is where much of the anger toward Keselowski as the sport's villain stems from for Gordon fans.

On a restart with two laps to go, Keselowski briefly saw a hole between Gordon and Jimmie Johnson – and with a win necessary to advance to the championship race, he decided to make a move.

But Gordon, caught off guard, came down the track to close the hole when Keselowski tried to drive through. Keselowski didn't back off, the cars made contact and Gordon ended up with a flat tire and a ruined race. Gordon ended up missing the Chase finale by one point.

You probably know the rest: Gordon confronted Keselowski on pit road, sparking a massive brawl.

When Gordon announced 2015 would be his final chance at a title, angry fans reignited their criticism of Keselowski because they pointed to that moment as the one which cost Gordon a shot at a fifth championship.

Keselowski said he has some remorse for Gordon's team – though not the ones who punched him in the face – but has none for the driver, because "he had the opportunity not to turn down.

"I knew when I took the shot against Jeff, it wasn't a 100% shot – it was maybe a 30-40% shot (to make a clean pass)," he said. "And I'm saying that as though I was a basketball player and there's three seconds left in the game and I have to shoot a three-pointer.

" ... But you've got one bullet left in the chamber and your back is against the wall, you're going to shoot it."

There's a difference between the move he pulled at Texas and the one Ryan Newman made on Kyle Larson the next week at Phoenix International Raceway, Keselowski said. The Texas attempt was an "effort move" while Newman's was a "character move."

"The shot Newman took was kind of a 0% shot; it was kind of like a flagrant foul," he said. "My move had the potential to work and for everyone to come away clean. And when those moves exist, I'm going to take them even if the percentage is lower than what I want it to be. More times than not, I don't take the 0% shots."

'Bad Brad'

Keselowski doesn't want to be cast as NASCAR's villain, nor does he think he is one.

"I'm not really buying into the whole villain thing," he said. "Maybe that's a true sign of a villain, that they don't consider themselves to be the villain."

On the other hand, he said, "If the 'good guys' are Jeff Gordon and whatnot, then yeah, I want to beat them. That might be a villainous move."

Some drivers would be worried that drawing the ire of so many fans might have an impact on their careers. Keselowski isn't, because he said team owner Roger Penske firmly has his back ("unless I pull a Jerry Gappens," he said, referring to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway general manager who was arrested for lewdness last month).

And sponsor Miller Lite carries the same edge as an underdog brand compared to its rivals with larger market share. "Their feelings on that have empowered me," he said.

In addition to his car owner and sponsor, Keselowski also feels supported by NASCAR officials. Behind the scenes, Keselowski gets feedback that he's putting forth the kind of effort NASCAR wants to see from its drivers.

"I don't think they really care so much for my off-the-track comments, but I feel like they really appreciate the fact that I lay it out on the line to try and win a race," he said.

Keselowski insisted his philosophy is simple: Like a football player, he wants to leave it all on the field; if he doesn't win, at least he'll know he gave it maximum effort.

"I'd like it to be more complex than that," he said. "But whether I'm racing Jeff Gordon, who is one of the most beloved drivers, or Kyle Busch, who is one of the least beloved, I don't view them that way behind the wheel. I view them as a guy I'm here to beat.

"In some eyes, that's going to make me a bad guy. And if you're a Jeff Gordon fan, that makes me a bad person."

But although he doesn't have Gordon's endorsement, Keselowski said there are other drivers who have no problem with the way he races.

"I feel good about what I'm doing and there are plenty around me that are supporting me," he said. "Unfortunately, the ones who don't support me are the ones who seem to get the microphone more often than not. It's called the silent majority."

Follow Gluck on Twitter @jeff_gluck