Aftermath, Off-Week: Brad Keselowski Not Making Smart Moves

Some people are so obviously intelligent that after having a conversation with them, you walk away and say, "Wow, that person is really smart."

Brad Keselowski is one of them. He's articulate, thoughtful and clearly has a brain in his head.

And apparently, the Wonderlic test – most notably used to measure the learning and problem-solving abilities for prospective NFL draft picks – agrees with him. On Saturday morning, the start of a race-free weekend, Keselowski tweeted this:

@Keselowski: Just took the Wonderlic test. Scored a 37.5. Say what NFL????!!!!!

The average score for an NFL quarterback is reportedly 24. So if Keselowski's score is accurate, it shows the driver is a highly intelligent person.

But all of that begs the question: If Keselowski is so smart, why does he insist on pissing off most of his fellow NASCAR drivers?

Alienating the competition seems illogical, even to those whose Wonderlic scores may be much lower.

To win in NASCAR, drivers must race hard and smart. Why? Because on many levels, you cannot work alone and hope to win races.

Keselowski, like many young drivers over the years who have insisted on doing things their way, hasn't gotten the memo yet.

Listen to any veteran driver who has been through the battles, and you'll hear that one of the greatest elements of success in the Sprint Cup Series is understanding the concept of give-and-take. And Keselowski, it is clear, takes more than he gives.

Race too hard, too early? Hold a guy up who has a faster car? Those things will come back to you later.

And if you flat-out anger the other drivers (see: Edwards, Carl) by repeatedly being too aggressive, your good finishes can quickly turn into poor ones.

Furthermore, when Keselowski finds himself in situations where he pisses off other drivers, he's absolutely unapologetic (see Hamlin, Denny). His explanation? That's just how he drives.

Whether they say it or not, I'm willing to bet most of the drivers in the Sprint Cup Series felt it was only a matter of time before something like the Edwards/Keselowski incident in Atlanta happened.

And some drivers hinted that Keselowski likely got the message after flying through the air and practically landing on his head.

But according to Keselowski, it's quite the opposite.

Keselowski made several appearances on national TV shows last week in which he vowed not to change his driving style. He went a step further in a weekly Q&A with SI.com where he said "Carl would be in jail right now" if someone had been killed, dismissed Juan Pablo Montoya's comments by saying Montoya just "wants attention" and said he'll tell Edwards "that I plan on retaliating against him" by racing him as hard as always.

A defiant Keselowski insisted that he's learned nothing from the Edwards incident, which makes you wonder how the Wonderlic test missed that part.

Because if being smart is using information to solve problems and find a solution, Keselowski isn't using his head when it comes to his driving. Except when he's almost landing on it.

Believing he can win races or even make the Chase without playing nice with others? That's just dumb.

However, there is this: When Keselowski stubbornly refuses to change his approach, the fans win.

Why? Because Keselowski's presence makes the races more interesting. You never know what he's going to do, and his aggressive nature makes him a modern-day Mr. Excitement. Like him or not, you have to keep an eye on him.

So perhaps Keselowski should keep doing what he's doing. His loss – or losses, since there will be many – is our gain.