OXFORD — Almost no matter what Brad Keselowski did Sunday, he’d have been hard pressed to top the effort and controversy he had Saturday.

“I’m a little tired,” he said. “It was a long night. I had two races Saturday. I flew in in the morning. It’s always hard for me to sleep regardless after a race. So I got about an hour’s worth at the track and about an hour-and-half on the way out.”

That left the up-and-coming racer a bit fatigued Sunday as he made his first appearance at the TD Bank 250. Keselowski started last in the field and made slight progress, finishing 22nd overall.

Keselowski was at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., on Saturday, competing in two different races. The second made headlines when his feud with Carl Edwards, brewing since March, reignited on the final lap of the Nationwide Series race. Edwards retaliated from a bump on an earlier lap and spun Keselowski into the wall, where he bounced off, careened through traffic and was hit violently broadside as Edwards cruised to the victory.

“We had a fast race car,” said Keselowski, who also finished second in the truck race, creating controversy there as well when he claimed winner Kevin Harvick should have been penalized in the pits late in the race. “That’s cool. That’s what we strive for. The rest is just, it is what it is.”

He declined to discuss Saturday’s events further but claimed Edwards spun him out on purpose in comments made following the race. Bob Keselowski, Brad’s father, was quite outspoken, stating, “I’ll get my own damn uniform back on and take care of this.”

Keselowski shrugged off Saturday’s events on Sunday. He told fans that he still had a lot to learn and that he was okay but tired. Coincidentally, Keselowski found himself on the pole of his heat race next to Tim Brackett — with car No. 60, just like Edwards.

He ultimately had to settle for a provisional to gain entry into the feature. He nearly had the win in a last chance qualifier, but Dale Verrill roared from behind to steal the win at the line.

Keselowski arrived in Maine on Sunday morning and got in a few last ditch practice laps. He was at Oxford Plains Speedway last month, but that testing session was cut short by thunderstorms.

Keselowski was driving a car provided by Kendall Roberts. It was a challenge for him to get accustomed to a new style car. He says the Late Models he used to driving have a little more power and are faster. They could be man-handled a little easier.

“I’ve never driven this style car before,” said Keselowski. “So I needed to learn the track, the car and the team and everyone at once.”

Keselowski said he spoke with former 250 winner Kevin Harvick, but decided not to follow his advice.

“His biggest advice was to build a cheated-up car and come back,” Keselowski said with a smile. “It worked for him, but I didn’t do that. So I guess I didn’t take his advice.”

Keselowski emerged in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2008, finishing third in points and earning a pair of wins. He finished third overall the following year. That led to a ride in the Sprint Cup where he won in Talladega. He’s running a full Nationwide schedule as well as his Sprint Cup races.

He’s currently the leader in the Nationwide Series in points and 24th overall in Sprint Cup.

“I think its been a pretty good year,” said Keselowski. “It’s been up and down like everybody else. I’m really happy with our performance. We’re not going to win every race, but we’re trying. We’ve had a shot on the Nationwide Side, and we’re going to ramp up our efforts in the Cup side as the week go along.”

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