RFK Racing has seen a solid 2024 season so far. A few weeks ago Brad Keselowski, co-owner and driver, snapped a 110-race winless streak at Darlington Raceway. His teammate Chris Buescher has also notched five top-five finishes so far, sometimes coming dangerously close to a win.

Now an internationally famous motorsports athlete who competes who competes in sports car racing as a Ford factory driver is here to lend some extra charm to the team. Joey Hand, who is known to be a versatile racer, owns seven starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. Now, Hand is all set to return to the sport this weekend at the Chicago Street Race with Brad and the team. However, he noted the massive challenges he would need to wade through.

Brad Keselowski’s guest feels jittery in comeback

Recently, Brad Keselowski confided his apprehensions with the press. As Chris Buescher’s playoff chances look drab with only seven races left on the schedule, the upcoming Grant Park 165 race in Chicago may uplift the mood in RFK Racing. Former Star Mazda champion Joey Hand is set to take the wheel of the part-time No. 60 Ford. It will mark Hand’s debut in any race at the Chicago Street Course.

Yet Hand is feeling a little shaky about the pursuit. In a media briefing with Journalist Joseph Srigley on July 4th, he let out a sigh of relief due to his practice, “The good thing is, I’m doing a lot of stuff right now, racing all the time. Less than a month ago, we were racing the streets in Detroit with the new GT3 Mustang…So I’m in the mix, I’m doing stuff anyway. Got some SIM time this week, helped guys with SIM…that always helps me to understand more of it.”

Then Joey Hand narrated how interacting with Brad Keselowski’s fold is ‘refreshing’ his memory. “It basically started with the meeting last Wednesday with the team I’m running with, the crew chief, engineer…doing pit stop practice, looking at the NASCAR rules again to refresh my memory. I’ve done seven total before, so I have a feeling it’s more of a refresher course on all the stuff… Man, the driver’s driving a racecar…it’s not easy but obviously it comes naturally because you can do it all your life.”

Currently a Ford factory driver across several racing disciplines, Joey Hand is well-equipped to meet Brad Keselowski’s expectations. Hand’s resume is impressive, with wins at the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona, the 2012 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Pro Class.

However, he points out that his experience in Supercars and IMSA is quite different from NASCAR. He recently shared an interesting detail that highlights just how distinct these racing worlds are.

Hand noted a crucial mid-race difference

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In the International Motor Sports Association [IMSA], refueling and tire changes happen within 25 seconds at pit stops. That is way higher than the barely 10-second-pit stops that NASCAR drivers need to execute. But that is not all, pit-speed limiters are in place to help IMSA drivers keep within 60 km per hour speed limits. Our NASCAR drivers and their teams need to rely on their own time management skills.

Thus Brad Keselowski’s Chicago signee stressed this aspect as a challenge. Joey Hand said, “In IMSA, we use a pit speed limiter. I literally come to the pit line, hit the button, go wide-open throttle, and it just holds it right there for me. In Cup, you’re always managing your pit speed and your throttle and brake, and you’re managing the lights…There’s a car coming out, coming in…So pretty different on pit lane intensity-wise.  I told my crew chief, ‘I’m gonna need you to be saying, pit speed, pit speed pit speed.’”

Evidently, Hand has his work cut out for him at the Chicago Street Race. Yet the 24 Hour Le Mans winner and Supercars racer can be a formidable threat to Shane Van Gisbergen, defending race winner in Chicago.