Brad Keselowski’s run with Team Penske was what made him one of the biggest names in modern NASCAR. Winning the 2012 Cup Series championship and racking up countless other wins turned him a household name in the sport. But when Keselowski left Penske in 2022 to take on the dual role of driver and co-owner at RFK Racing, he knew he was signing up for an uphill battle—reviving a team that had fallen off the pace. Fast forward to today, and RFK is clearly on the rise. With his former Penske crew chief, Jeremy Bullins, now joining him for the 2025 season, the pieces are coming together for something big.

In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Bullins revealed the driving factor behind uprooting an admittedly cushy comfortable life at Penske to reunite with his old friend.

The Penske Days: A Partnership That Worked

If you followed NASCAR during the early 2020s, you’ll remember the Keselowski-Bullins pairing. Together at Team Penske, they notched five Cup Series wins, 23 top-five finishes, and 41 top-10s in just two years. The high point? A runner-up finish in the 2020 championship standings—agonizingly close to the title. Bullins wasn’t just a Cup guy, though; he also grabbed 21 wins in the Xfinity Series, working with Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano.

But when Keselowski left Penske, Bullins stayed. He had a pretty good run, too—helping Austin Cindric win the 2022 Daytona 500 and guiding Harrison Burton to a milestone 100th victory for the Wood Brothers Racing team in 2024. Despite his success, the call to reunite with Keselowski was too strong to ignore. “I certainly enjoyed working at Team Penske and I was there for a very long time and I never really saw myself leaving there and honestly, when Brad left to come to RFK, I stayed there because I was so comfortable there. You know, I really looked at this opportunity as an opportunity to be successful with Brad again,” said Bullins.

Bullins had options—some big ones, including management roles at various unnamed but likely big teams—but he chose to return to a Cup crew chief role with Keselowski. Why? As he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, it was about rekindling that spark. “For me, being a Cup crew chief was always the dream job,” Bullins admitted. “The analogy that I gave a couple people was, you know, kids growing up wanna be astronauts or firemen or whatever and I always wanted to crew chief a cup car. So I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do and this opportunity was kind of the most natural for me of the options that were there.”

He added, “There’s this whole young generation coming in, but now you’ve got some of us older guys putting the band back together. Walking through the RFK shop, seeing the investment and the commitment. I just want to be part of building it.”

And it’s not just about nostalgia. Bullins sees this not only as a chance to address some unfinished business but also build a winning culture alongside his former partner Keselowski, who has been instrumental in bringing the right people over to RFK Racing to propel them to regulars at the front of the field.

“We were able to accomplish a lot as a team previously, but we had a couple of unfinished goals, like a Daytona 500 win and a championship together, and I’m ecstatic we get the opportunity to compete together again.” said Bullins.

Keselowski’s arrival at RFK marked a turning point for the team, which had struggled in the years prior. By 2023, they were winning again, including a 1-2 finish at Daytona that turned heads across the NASCAR world. In 2024, Keselowski broke a 103-race winless streak, proving RFK was back in the mix.

RFK Racing’s Comeback & Teaming Up with Haas

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Bullins is stepping into a role vacated by Matt McCall, who played a key part in RFK’s recent success, including a win at Darlington in 2024. Keselowski was quick to credit McCall for helping turn the team around but is equally excited about what Bullins can bring to the table. RFK isn’t just focusing inward; they’re also expanding their influence through a partnership with the newly formed Haas Factory Team (HFT). This alliance leverages RFK’s technical expertise to help HFT establish itself in NASCAR while boosting RFK’s own resources. It’s a win-win situation.

Aaron Kramer, HFT’s crew chief for Cole Custer, called the partnership a “fourth car” for RFK, providing additional data and insights. Bullins sees it as a forward-thinking move: “The collaboration with Haas shows RFK is serious about becoming a powerhouse again. It’s exciting to be part of something so strategic.”

Another sign of RFK’s ambitions? They’re adding a third car for the 2025 season, with Ryan Preece joining teammates Chris Buescher and Keselowski. The team secured a charter from Rick Ware Racing to make it happen, and Kroger—a major NASCAR sponsor—is coming on board as well. With Keselowski, Bullins, and a growing team ready to tackle the future, RFK Racing is shaping up to be a serious contender. The glory days of Team Penske may be in the past, but the journey to recreate something just as special is well underway.