The thrill of racing in NASCAR comes with huge risks. After all, driving stock cars at almost 200 mph in close circuits is no mean feat – and if one of those cars is not functioning well, all hell can break loose. The sport has recorded 92 driver deaths due to accidents on the racetrack. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was among them, as The Intimidator incurred a basilar skull fracture after his car hit the retaining wall in the 2001 Daytona 500 race. Brad Keselowski is fairly aware of such dangerous risks.

As a seasoned NASCAR driver, the RFK Racing co-owner knows the intricacies of a car’s handling. He is also the owner of Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, which works with aerospace, military, and oil and gas companies. So when a NASCAR fan was baffled by a US Military vehicle component, Keselowski was ready to give a lesson on safety.

Small but crucial, as Brad Keselowski explains

In NASCAR, the components of a vehicle are of paramount importance. Dale Earnhardt joined a piling list of driver fatalities, including Tony Roper and Kenny Irwin Jr. So the sport undertook heavy measures soon after, including the mandatory use of head-and-neck restraints and making safer race cars. The Next-Gen car, which debuted in 2022, also led to severe injuries – like Kurt Busch incurring a career-ending concussion or Kevin Harvick’s car bursting into flames due to a rubber build-up. Although two years have passed since such serious incidents, the cars are not entirely devoid of problems. Both Josh Berry and Corey LaJoie faced dangerous flipping crashes.

As an active driver of the sport, Brad Keselowski is well aware of these issues. So when a fan posted the photo of a finger-length bolt questioning its big price of $45, Keselowski was ready to school them. He emphasized that every little detail can be a life-altering cause. “These bolts are used in critical areas that often time separate life and death. They are inspected at every level to make sure someone comes back home alive, which costs time and money. They were created from lessons learned when people did not live as a result of using low quality hardware. Worth every penny…”

Brad Keselowski then validated his argument – his automobile knowledge already shows in KAM that designs, engineers, and manufactures cars for others. “From someone who builds and maintains high dollar hardware- let’s not allow messaging like this to throw away the wisdom of those who came before us so a few people can score some virtue points.” 

However, some fans were still seeing sunflowers after learning about the massive price of a small bolt. Somebody tried to call out Keselowski’s serious stance: “Brad, I am a longtime fan… But, it’s a fucking bolt. Come on.” But the RFK Racing owner-driver hardened his charge. Brad Keselowski posted again: “When the $45 bolt traded for $5 inevitably breaks and results in the death of someone, is “it was just a bolt” really how we want to be explaining it to their loved ones?”

Clearly, Brad Keselowski was adamant about stressing the finer details of a car. And rightly too, as a NASCAR executive explained.

An inch can save your life

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Dale Earnhardt Sr. was the last driver to pass away due to mid-race fatalities in NASCAR. That is because of the strict restrictions that the sport undertook, including introducing SAFER barriers. The sanctioning body has a meticulous safety rulebook in place. The slightest rulebook infractions can lead to hefty penalties. For instance, officials slapped Bubba Wallace with a $50,000 penalty after hitting Bowman on the cooldown lap in Chicago. Then Joey Logano also landed a 50k fine for driving too close to Austin Dillon’s family on the pit road at Richmond.

Similarly, the finer details of a race car are also closely regulated. John Patalak, Senior Director of Safety Engineering, outlined in 2015 how every inch counts. For instance, the restraint system in a car works better due to bolts in the seat. “We can put the bolts that hold the seat belts in the seat … exactly where they need to be for optimal performance of the restraint system…You have to move an inch here or an inch there. By bringing all of that inside the seat, we no longer have to work around those parts and pieces. We’re down to the level now that we’re trying to tune the restraint system literally fractions of an inch for small gains.”

Evidently, Brad Keselowski’s argument is more than valid in the high-risk sport of NASCAR. Hopefully, the Next-Gen car will get better with time and avoid undue wrecks.