Brad Keselowski emerged from the shadows of his 24th starting position to nab a top-10 at Richmond. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
RICHMOND, Va. – Naturally, Brad Keselowski is a natural born winner and pushes himself and those around him to be at their very best.
Anything less than a trip to the winner’s circle is not totally acceptable. Moral victories and progress may be great, but there is nothing sweeter or an equal substitute than the fruits of labor enjoyed in Victory Lane.
Still, the 39-year-old Rochester Hills, Michigan native understands the incredible undertaking that he accepted when he became co-owner of RFK Racing ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. Aside from extinguishing the fodder and noise from the press in mid-2021, it was the conclusion of one of the most successful, contemporary driver and team combinations and the start of a new era for one of NASCAR’s longest running organizations.
Moreover, Keselowski inherited a legacy of lofty successes, a feel good dynasty built on heroes and legends with a grounded approach and an operation that had not been a fully competitive organization since 2017 in terms of wins and 2014 when it comes to title battles.
While Keselowski likely understood how difficult his first season would be as a driver and co-owner of RFK Racing, he likely did not anticipate the struggles he endured in 2022. With a single top five finish (fifth at Homestead-Miami) and six top 10 results, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion finished 24th in the points standings, his lowest result since 2010 (25th).
Prior to Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway, it is safe to say that Keselowski, crew chief Matt McCall and the RFK Racing brigade worked feverishly to be more competitive in 2023. For what it is worth, Keselowski and company are making good on turning RFK Racing into a truly competitive team.
Keselowski showcased his team’s promising prowess at Richmond. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
Namely, Keselowski entered the 400-lap race ranked 13th, a respectable place considering his runner-up at Atlanta and two total top 10 results after six races. Then again, he hoped to rebound from a tough race weekend at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, where he placed 35th due to a driveshaft issue.
Although practice and qualifying were washed away on Saturday, the insightful stock car veteran already considered his latest challenge for Sunday’s race at Richmond – the lower downforce package.
“It’s the first time with much lower downforce (package) than what we’ve had,” Keselowski said. “Expect the cars to be incredibly difficult to drive. It’ll take a lot of finesse and I’m looking forward to the challenge of how to maintain that with what tends to be a long, green flag race. I love it. I love this track.”
Despite the package being utilized at Phoenix and Austin, Richmond seemed to be a bit of a genuine test at a definitive short track. Moreover, Keselowski looked forward to racing with this package given Richmond’s abrasive surface.
“I would expect them to make a bigger difference here, yes. I think this track, it already has a tendency for significant tire fall-off which should add on top of the effects of the lower downforce,” he said.
Keselowski’s insights served him well with Richmond as his perspectives were nearly on the money. Starting from the 24th position, Keselowski wasted little time toward marching his way up the leaderboard.
In this case, Keselowski drove to a ninth place finish in Stage 1 and sixth in Stage 2. By all means, his No. 6 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang was one of the more competitive cars in Sunday’s race.
Ultimately, Keselowski placed 10th, a respectable result although the 16-year Cup racer had a car that kept with eventual race winner, Kyle Larson.
Top 10 results may seem great but Keselowski wants more. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
All in all, a top-10 result at Richmond boosted Keselowski into the top-10 points standings heading into next Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway (7 p.m. ET on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Compared to last year, Keselowski is elevating the RFK Racing organization back as a genuinely competitive stock car powerhouse team. However, progress is no substitute for successful weekends like he knew in his heyday with Team Penske.
“I’m happier than what I was last year, but I wouldn’t say I’m happy. We need to be winning races,” Keselowski said.
Editor’s Notes
Nathan Solomon contributed to this article directly on-site from Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.
