"There's a sense of accomplishment that comes from that in a bizarre way," Keselowski, 25, says. "In this sport when others are angry at you, generally you've done something right. Because when you're in a competitive environment, the only time a competitor likes you is when they beat you."

If conflict means competenece, Keselowski's big-league education in NASCAR seems to be accelerating with an angry rival every week. At Dover International Speedway, he reignited a long-running feud in a crash with Denny Hamlin. At Kansas Speedway, Keselowski collided with Juan Pablo Montoya and angered Tony Stewart with his aggression.

Keselowski has been backing the skirmishes with solid results. Along with three poles, two wins and a third-place ranking with JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, the Rochester Hills, Mich., native has a win and three top 10s in 10 Cup starts. Next year, he will leave JRM (and its alliance with Hendrick) for the No. 12 Dodge at Penske Racing while continuing a full Nationwide schedule.

"It's been fairly obvious to me the more I run on the Cup side, the better I get," he said. "I need to be running there every week."

Aside from Hamlin, Keselowski says the criticism proves it.

"They're mad at me because I've been racing too hard, not because I'm causing wrecks," Keselowski says, laughing. "That's pretty damn awesome! It's pretty awesome that Tony Stewart's mad because I'm outracing him. So I don't walk away angry or upset."

His competitors, though, haven't been so pleased, which begs the question of whether Keselowski will face retribution in his first full Cup season. Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon has been surprised because Keselowski "is such a good guy. It does seem like his aggressiveness, even in Nationwide, has elevated," Gordon says. "Obviously, he wants to make his mark. That could work for or against him."

The situation is clear-cut for Hamlin, who warned Keselowski "he needs to be worried" for not receiving an apology after Dover.

"Young guys can either learn the hard way or find out themselves by reaching out to the veterans," says Hamlin, who began calling and text-messaging peers after an '06 incident with Mark Martin at Martinsville. "That's why my rookie year went as smooth as it did because I didn't ruffle any feathers."

Keselowski, though, is exuding confidence, not caution — particularly after qualifying third at Kansas, leading a lap and running in the top 10 for much of the race.

"I have yet to run a perfect race at the Cup level, but Kansas was the closest," he says. "I still see room for improvement."

Enlarge By Charlie Neibergall, AP Brad Keselowski has two victories and ranks third in the Nationwide Series points, but can also boast of a Sprint Cup victory in a part-time schedule this season.