Brad Kesleowski hails fresh impetus of Penske's switch to Ford

The 28-year-old became Penske's first Cup champion in the final round of the season at Homestead, triumphing after nearest rival Jimmie Johnson hit trouble.

Speaking during Tuesday's test at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Penske has started its transition from Dodge to Ford, he admitted it would be easy for energy and drive to slip in the wake of the team's triumph.

He believes the switch to Ford will help negate such pitfalls however, as it provides his team with a new challenge to focus on.

"It's really tough for any championship team to be able to keep all of the people motivated because you've achieved a goal," Keselowski admitted.

"I think everybody starts out their career wanting to be a champion and wanting to be the best and that keeps you motivated - but once you get that, it's easy to lose your motivation.

"One of the best advantages of switching to Ford is it gives us something to prove all over again: that we can continue to be successful no matter what the manufacturer and no matter what the circumstances.

"I think that's very healthy.

"The best employees we have at Penske Racing are always going to be self-motivated, but we have to find ways to make sure that there is no temptation to lose that motivation; that's probably one of the biggest challenges we have.

"I feel like, as a team, we have that motivation right now."