‘Raw speed’ the missing piece in Keselowski’s quest for victory

Brad Keselowski continues to believe his RFK Racing team is one step away from returning to NASCAR Cup series victory lane. “Just need a little bit more raw speed,” Keselowski said. “We need to show up at racetracks and be a threat for the pole, run …

Brad Keselowski continues to believe his RFK Racing team is one step away from returning to NASCAR Cup series victory lane.

“Just need a little bit more raw speed,” Keselowski said. “We need to show up at racetracks and be a threat for the pole, run the fastest lap in the race. Do those types of things. We’ve done that … at Bristol, we haven’t done that enough at other places. That’s what we’re looking for.”

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Keselowski’s winless streak is now 103 races old, dating back to the spring of 2021 at Talladega Superspeedway. The victory was his last with Team Penske before joining forces with Jack Roush as driver and co-owner. Keselowski has yet to win driving the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, but he’s been to victory lane four times as co-owner of Chris Buescher’s No. 17.

Entering the first road course race of the season at Circuit of the Americas (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox), Keselowski, who has not yet won on a road course in the Cup Series, is 13th in the championship standings and Buescher is 14th. Buescher has three top-10 finishes to Keselowski’s pair.

“I thought at Phoenix our teams looked really similar,” Keselowski said of the gap between the two teams. “Atlanta, we looked pretty similar. Daytona, we looked pretty similar. We didn’t look very similar at Las Vegas; I thought the 17 was stronger than the 6 car was there.

“Those things come and go for various reasons, there’s not one thing on any given week. You want the crew chiefs to have a little bit of freedom to do what they want to do with their engineers and try different things, and when that gets too far apart for too long, you try to rein it back in, and there’s an ebb and flow to that. But for the most part, I feel like we’re pretty close.”

The winless streak is not something Keselowski has concerned himself with as he’s worked to integrate himself and help carry RFK Racing forward. But Keselowski also doesn’t mind being asked how close he feels to winning or what the team is missing.

“No, no, no,” he said. “It’s the right question to ask. It’s the question we ask of ourselves.”

Fortunately, Keselowski and his group is much closer to making that happen than they were in their first year together.

“Oh yeah, we’re way closer than we were 24 months ago,” Keselowski said. “But that’s not good enough.”

NASCAR takes Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski’s cars to R&D Center after Phoenix

NASCAR has taken Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski’s cars to the R&D Center after Phoenix Raceway in 2024.

The NASCAR Cup Series has finished its fourth race of the 2024 season, and it has been a successful start. The Daytona 500 and race at Atlanta Motor Speedway featured thrilling superspeedway finishes. Then, Las Vegas Motor Speedway had another good finish, while Christopher Bell dominated at Phoenix Raceway. Following the “West Coast Swing,” NASCAR is now looking at some cars.

NASCAR announced that it will be taking [autotag]Kyle Larson[/autotag] and [autotag]Brad Keselowski[/autotag]’s cars back to the R&D Center this week after the race at Phoenix. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong with Larson or Keselowski, but the sport just wants to have a more intense inspection process. Usually, this procedure doesn’t result in penalties unless NASCAR finds something wrong.

Keselowski is coming off a fourth-place finish, while Larson ended his day in 14th place at Phoenix. The “West Coast Swing” is now over, and NASCAR heads back to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500. Larson and Keselowski likely won’t have any penalties before the race, but they will find out more on Tuesday or Wednesday.

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Keselowski feeling ready to make a move on Atlanta high banks

The configuration of Atlanta Motor Speedway doesn’t matter to Brad Keselowski because success has been a constant. Keselowski led the spring race at Atlanta on the final lap last year in one of the strongest showings of the season for the No. 6 RFK …

The configuration of Atlanta Motor Speedway doesn’t matter to Brad Keselowski because success has been a constant.

Keselowski led the spring race at Atlanta on the final lap last year in one of the strongest showings of the season for the No. 6 RFK Racing team, even though he ended up bested by former teammate Joey Logano and finished second. The performance, however, gives Keselowski and his group a good notebook for approaching Sunday’s race (3pm ET, Fox).

“I like the track,” Keselowski said. “I feel good here. I feel like we understand what we need out of our car and yeah, I feel like we can win come Sunday. It’s a good track for us, but nothing is given to you — you have to go earn it. Just because you ran well last year, everybody is working on their stuff in order to get better, so I don’t take it for granted. I do feel like it’s a track that, even before it was reconfigured, suited me well and continues to do so.”

The former Cup Series champion hasn’t won yet driving the car he owns. Keselowski became a co-owner of RFK Racing in 2022, and his last Cup Series victory was in the spring of 2021 while driving for Team Penske (Talladega Superspeedway).

Sunday will be Keselowski’s 100th start since that victory. It’s not a streak – or drought – he’s concerned about.

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“I’m not paying any attention to it, honestly,” Keselowski said. “What matters to me is I would rather be fast every week and contending for wins than fall…into a race win and say, ‘Oh streak’s over.’ I want to be fast. I want to be contending and in the hunt.

“We did that last week and I’m proud of that, and I think we have a good shot to do that this week. That’s what matters to me.”

It’s the longest stretch Keselowski has gone without a victory in his Cup Series career. He scored at least one win each season from 2011 through 2021.

“I never was not hungry,” Keselowski said of getting back to victory lane. “I don’t know how to get any hungrier.”

A breakthrough win wouldn’t come as a surprise at Atlanta. Whereas a year ago, Atlanta and other superspeedway racetracks were opportunity races for the team, their progression has made them weekly contenders.

“I do feel that we can win anywhere,” Keselowski said. “I would have liked to have more speed in qualifying than what we showed, but I feel confident that we’ve got a lot of great pieces, a lot of maturity in our team, and I could see us winning tomorrow and being a threat all day long.”

Keselowski qualified 24th for the Ambetter 400.

Brad Keselowski discusses another Daytona 500 heartbreak in 2024

Brad Keselowski discusses another Daytona 500 heartbreak after crashing in 2024. Find out what Keselowski had to say about the wreck!

[autotag]Brad Keselowski[/autotag] moved to the inside of race leader Ross Chastain with eight laps remaining in the 2024 Daytona 500. Keselowski’s maneuver would’ve been successful as he got to Chastain’s quarter panel; however, his progress came to a scratching halt. After Alex Bowman gave William Byron a bad push, Keselowski got clipped and shot up the track into traffic.

The driver of the No. 6 car wrecked out of the Daytona 500 for a 33rd-place finish. It was another heartbreak for Keselowski in the Great American Race. Following the accident, Keselowski talked about the situation and showed obvious disappointment after coming up short.

“It’s unfortunate,” Keselowski said. “We were making the pass for the lead with just eight laps to go, and now I’m here talking to you guys. It’s not exactly where I want to be, no offense, but that’s just part of how this deal goes sometimes.”

Keselowski has been so close to winning the Daytona 500 on several occasions, and he should be the top storyline every time the sport enters Florida in February. The RFK Racing driver needs a little luck to go his way to get it done. Keselowski continues to be on the verge of winning the Great American Race, but it will need to wait one more year.

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10 NASCAR drivers share what they love — and don’t — about the Daytona 500

“It’s one of the few things that — having been in the Cup Series for 13, 14 years now — still give me chills.”

LOS ANGELES — The Daytona 500 is unlike any other NASCAR race. It’s the biggest event on the 36-race schedule, and it kicks off the season each year at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR’s iconic 2.5-mile track.

It’s a crown-jewel race in the sport, and drivers would do just about anything to take NASCAR’s most coveted checkered flag. But it has and continues to elude many of the sport’s best competitors.

Before the start of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, For The Win caught up with several drivers at the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a preseason exhibition race, to talk about the Daytona 500. We asked them what their favorite and least favorite things are about the race, and their answers didn’t disappoint.

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NASCAR drivers weigh in on the #daytona500 #nascar

♬ Dance You Outta My Head – Cat Janice

Brad Keselowski’s schedule, paint scheme for King’s Hawaiian in 2024 revealed

Brad Keselowski’s schedule and paint scheme for King’s Hawaiian in 2024 has been revealed. Check out the paint scheme and schedule for 2024!

[autotag]Brad Keselowski[/autotag]’s week has been filled with new sponsorship and paint scheme announcements, including Build Submarines and Consumer Cellular. This doesn’t even include Castrol or Fifth Third Bank, which are also a part of RFK Racing’s announcements. Now, the driver of the No. 6 car has another schedule and paint scheme revealed for a familiar sponsor.

On Thursday morning, RFK Racing announced that King’s Hawaiian will return to Keselowski’s entry in 2024. The company will be on the No. 6 car for nine of the 38 Cup Series events. Most notably, Keselowski will carry King’s Hawaiian colors during the Cup Series’ debut at Iowa on June 16 and the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on August 24.

RFK Racing seems to be in a position to take a step to the next level this season. Keselowski has yet to win with his NASCAR team, but Chris Buescher won three times in 2023. Keselowski is a Cup Series champion, but winning his first race with RFK Racing as a co-owner might be one of his proudest moments if it happens in 2024.

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RFK Racing reveals new NASCAR paint scheme for Brad Keselowski in 2024

RFK Racing reveals a new NASCAR Cup Series paint scheme for Brad Keselowski in 2024. Take a look at Keselowski’s new scheme!

[autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag] released the first official paint scheme for Ford’s new Mustang Dark Horse Next Gen car, which will debut in race action during the 2024 NASCAR season. It was a Fastenal paint scheme for Chris Buescher as RFK Racing moved from a fully blue car to a blue and black car. Now, the NASCAR organization has an announcement for [autotag]Brad Keselowski[/autotag].

On Wednesday morning, RFK Racing released Keselowski’s paint scheme for Fastenal’s Body Guard brand. The driver of the No. 6 car will run this new paint scheme in two races, which will be the first race of the season at Martinsville Speedway and NASCAR’s return to the oval layout at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This paint scheme is relatively close to Buescher’s Fastenal layout. Keselowski has an orange base instead of blue while having black on the front and back. Overall, it looks very good as RFK Racing’s paint scheme layout is becoming clear. Keep yourself updated at Motorsports Wire as we cover every Cup Series paint scheme released for the 2024 season!

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Brad Keselowski’s 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season in review

Brad Keselowski had a bounce back year with RFK Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Here, you can check out Keselowski’s 2023 season in review!

[autotag]Brad Keselowski[/autotag] had a rough start to his tenure at RFK Racing but the 2023 NASCAR season represented a turnaround. Keselowski ended the year with seven top-5 finishes and 16 top-10 finishes. Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 6 car, he was eliminated in the Round of 12 and finished eighth in the point standings as the highest competitor without a victory.

Keselowski made incredible strides compared to the 2022 NASCAR season. The 39-year-old driver only had one top-5 finish and six top-10 finishes so it should be labeled a success. Keselowski closed out the campaign with 341 laps led (ninth best) and a 14.4 average finishing position (eighth best); however, his season was determined by a two-race stretch in the Round of 12.

The RFK Racing driver was in position for a strong showing at Talladega Superspeedway but he ended up crashing out for a 32nd-place finish. It was an unfortunate result for Keselowski as the Charlotte ROVAL closed out the Round of 12. He struggled on road courses throughout the 2023 NASCAR season and never had a chance to advance after Stage 1 in Charlotte.

Still, Keselowski’s improvement from 2022 to 2023 shows that his winning days may not be over yet. The No. 6 team came close to victory lane on a few occasions so they can still get it done. For Keselowski, it represents a great building block for RFK Racing. The hope for the organization is that Keselowski and Chris Buescher become consistent winners in 2024.

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RFK tips Custer to qualify for dad-again Keselowski at Phoenix

Cole Custer will qualify the No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing on Saturday afternoon as Brad Keselowski has left Phoenix Raceway to be with his wife Paige, who has gone into labor. NASCAR Cup Series qualifying is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. local time (4:35 …

Cole Custer will qualify the No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing on Saturday afternoon as Brad Keselowski has left Phoenix Raceway to be with his wife Paige, who has gone into labor.

NASCAR Cup Series qualifying is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. local time (4:35 p.m. ET). It will set the field for the final race of the season and the championship-deciding race for William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney.

Custer will pull double duty on Saturday. Following Cup Series qualifying, Custer will compete for the Xfinity Series championship in his No. 00 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.

RKF Racing stated: “Brad Keselowski will not qualify the No. 6 car today, due to his wife, Paige, going into labor. In place of him, Cole Custer will qualify the car later this afternoon. The expectation is that Brad will return to Phoenix Sunday to drive the No. 6 in the NASCAR Cup Series Race.”

Custer has made six Cup Series starts this season with Rick Ware Racing with his best finish being a 24th-place result at Kansas Speedway last month. He was a full-time Cup Series driver from 2020 through 2022.

RFK has a lot to be proud of despite one elimination – Keselowski

Despite his NASCAR Cup Series postseason coming to an end Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski said the No. 6 RFK Racing team had a lot to be proud of. “We kept clawing and it just wasn’t enough today,” Keselowski said after finishing …

Despite his NASCAR Cup Series postseason coming to an end Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Brad Keselowski said the No. 6 RFK Racing team had a lot to be proud of.

“We kept clawing and it just wasn’t enough today,” Keselowski said after finishing 18th. “I felt like I could have done a few things better, and obviously, it’s frustrating when you don’t advance and you don’t get what you want out of the day. But we’ve got a lot of great things going on, and we’ll learn from it and come back stronger.”

Admittedly, it was not the cleanest of days for Keselowski on the road course. It started with a pass-through penalty on lap 19 after he slid over the exit of the frontstretch chicane. A penalty is called when all four tires are on the opposite side of the blue curbs.

“We really recovered from that very well,” Keselowski said. “We got back up into the top 10 and then we just kind of faded a little bit, pitted for tires to try to claw as we faded. I think we faded to like 10th or so, and we pitted for tires, and I then had spun with (Ross Chastain).

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“We clawed back out of that to an 18th, which isn’t a great day, but it certainly could have been a lot worse.”

It wouldn’t have been a pass-through penalty had Keselowski stopped on the track, which the team initially thought they’d done. But it wasn’t deemed that way by NASCAR.

“There was numerous levels of confusion,” Keselowski said. “We thought we had served it with a stop before that. In the end, it didn’t really make or break our day.”

Keselowski’s spin with Chastain was with 17 laps to go. It was also in the frontstretch chicane.

Sunday, however, was a dual hat day for Keselowski. While he was eliminated from championship contention as a driver, his teammate and the car he co-owns, Chris Buescher, advanced into the semifinal round.

“I’m really happy for Chris,” Keselowski said. “Obviously, you’re never happy when you don’t advance, but if you look at where we were a year ago to where we’re at today, it’s night and day, and we want to make this same jump next year. There’s a level of patience that comes with that and building a team and company, and there’s a lot of great things that we’re doing.

“One day in this sport feels like it could make or break you, but it really doesn’t. I, at least, have a little bit of a longer-term view of the sport and what we’re trying to do and can see that we’re going to have the opportunity to come back next year and be even stronger.”