Brad Keselowski was already a three-time winner when he raced in the inaugural Nationwide Series event at Iowa Speedway last year.
But winning the U.S. Cellular 250 in 2009 was a turning point in Keselowski's career. He had yet to sign with Penske Racing for a full-time Cup Series ride, so his future was uncertain. To many, perhaps even Keselowski himself, he was still "only a Nationwide driver."
Kyle Busch was dominating the series last year and led 84 laps at Iowa after coming from the back of the field. He appeared headed to his seventh victory of the season.
But after a late restart, Keselowski made his move, and he and Busch raced side-by-side for several laps before Keselowski was able to get the lead and pull away.
"I came down the frontstretch, and my spotter said, 'Clear,'" Keselowski said. "I could hear the fans through his radio, and I could see them standing up and waving. Just a special moment in my career."
When Keselowski takes to the track Saturday night at Iowa, he will do so as a full-time Cup driver and the Nationwide Series points leader. Last year's win will still be fresh in his mind. It confirmed to him that he truly belonged in NASCAR, in Cup. Beating the unbeatable Busch in one of the biggest races of the year was a huge step for Keselowski, who also won a series-record $154,743 that day, thanks in part to Nationwide Insurance's Dash 4 Cash program.
"Absolutely, it confirmed it for me," Keselowski said. "It made me feel like a good racer. To do it at that time and at that place, with it being the inaugural event -- and of course, Nationwide had that Dash 4 Cash deal that never hurts. It was so special on so many different levels that it kind of sounds almost like a cliche."
But it's not, and the moment can't be overstated. Before that race, Keselowski was a winning Nationwide driver with hopes of moving to Cup. After that race, Keselowski would soon become a Cup driver.
"There was a big burst of confidence that wasn't just for me, it was for my team at the time," Keselowski said. "That kind of fueled me through the rest of the year and fueled our team through the rest of the year and helped us make a push through the summer to gain some points.
"From my perspective, what it meant was given the right opportunity, I could do it. I could beat Kyle, and that was a big step of confidence for me."
