NASCAR says Keselowski can keep phone in car

[February 29, 2012]  CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- NASCAR said Tuesday Brad Keselowski can keep his cellphone in his racecar during events, and all drivers are encouraged to use social media.

Keselowski drew worldwide attention for posting on Twitter during a red-flag period in Monday night's season-opening Daytona 500. He posted pictures, answered questions and kept fans informed of what was happening during the stoppage that lasted just over two hours.

The tweeting gained Keselowski roughly 140,000 followers during the race.

But there was concern having a phone violated NASCAR rules. Teams are prohibited from having recording devices in the car that are not for competition purposes, and two-way communication devices are supposed to be analog only.

NASCAR said Keselowski had not violated any rules and can keep his phone.

"NASCAR will not penalize Brad Keselowski for his use of Twitter during last night's Daytona 500," NASCAR said in a statement. "Nothing we've seen from Brad violates any current rules pertaining to the use of social media during races. As such, he won't be penalized. We encourage our drivers to use social media to express themselves as long as they do so without risking their safety or that of others."

[Associated Press; By JENNA FRYER]

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.