NASCAR championship's WMass connection

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (WWLP) - Congrats to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champ Brad Keselowski and his crew chief Paul Wolfe. The 35 year old Wolfe's journey to the top of the championship pit box began in Milford, New York and included a handful of races at area tracks visited by western Massachusetts fans.

From 2000-2004 Paul Wolfe was a driver in the NASCAR Busch North Series. In those five years, Wolfe never won a race, but earned top 5 and top 10 finishes. There were also hard times, like being one of 18 drivers that failed to qualify for the 30 car NASCAR BGNN field at the Stafford Motor Speedway.

Paul's resume includes four races at Stafford with two top 10 finishes, two starts at the Thompson International Speedway, three events at Lime Rock Park with a top 5 and a pair of top 10's, one start at the Waterford Speedbowl, and 11 races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with four top 5's and six top 10 finishes.

Wolfe's efforts to grow his driving skills included sharing the track at that time with Martin Truex, Jr. who finished 11th in this season's chase. In 2005, Wolfe made 11 starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, with 1 top 10 finish. It was around this time that Wolfe began making his transition from the driver's seat to crew chief.

This is actually the second NASCAR championship for Keselowski and Wolfe, having won the NASCAR Nationwide Series crown in 2010. Only time will tell what the future holds for this talented tandem. One championship does not a dynasty make, but could Keselowski and Wolfe be the latest Johnson and Knaus or Gordon and Evernham? The next  chapter isn't that far off. The 2013 Daytona 500 is less than 100 days away.