Brad Keselowski on the Receiving End of His NASCAR Peers’ Stinging Criticism After Erratic Daytona 500 Display

In every story, in every aspect of life, there are certain roles, certain archetypes. Such was the case in the Daytona 500 as well, with the protagonist being rookie Austin Cindric, the driver of the No.2 Penske Mustang, and the antagonist being Brad Keselowski, the former driver of the No.2 Penske Mustang.

Cindric is the protagonist for obvious reasons but if you’re wondering why Keselowski is the villain, that too is down to obvious reasons. Just look at the number of drivers he wrecked, knowingly or unknowingly, directly or indirectly.

As a result of this, the driver-owner found himself on the receiving end of plenty-a-hearing of harsh words from ‘his victims.’

The bluntest and most brutal of which was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The No.21 driver didn’t try to mince his words as he took a dig at the connection between Keselowski and the No.2 Penske car that eventually won the race.

“I guess he (Keselowski) just tried to wreck everybody in the field until he won,” Stenhouse said. “I guess his other car won that he gave up. So kudos to him.”

Then there was Denny Hamlin, who found himself amidst the wreck-fest of Stage 1 that was triggered by the other driver-owner on the field. Hamlin described Keselowski’s urges to advance on Burton, as “over-aggressive” knowing it can cause a wreck, which it did.

“I saw it coming. And that’s the tough part, like you could see the 21 (Burton) was kind of sideways and out of control and Brad just wouldn’t let him go,” the Joe Gibbs driver said.

Even Harrison Burton, the rookie, took a slight dig on Brad Keselowski as he said, “Obviously I’m not questioning Brad’s ability.”

“I think he just got a little wide on my right side and kind of shot me on the inside there.”

What did Brad Keselowski say after the race?

At the end of the race in which, despite his eager attempts to get out in the front, Brad Keselowski could only manage a ninth-place finish.

When quizzed about his aggressive approach throughout the race, Keselowski remained coy and unelaborate.

“Whenever somebody spins out obviously there’s somebody over-aggressive, but in the moment I didn’t,” he said. “I was just pushing. We weren’t even all the way up to speed, so I feel like it was a crazy time to be pushing.”

“But obviously, the results say different.”

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