Brad Keselowski’s Triumphant History in Talladega Hints at an End of a 107-Race Drought

After Chase Elliott snapped his 42-race winless drought in Texas, another driver’s fortunes are also in the works. Brad Keselowski has not touched a shiny trophy since 2021. Incidentally, his last victory came at Talladega Superspeedway, the track animating racing fans’ imagination for the upcoming weekend.

Sporting six wins at the mammoth 2.66-mile track, Keselowski is the winningest in Talladega among active drivers. Now that he has come dangerously close to the checkered flag in Texas, he is bound to see victory soon.

Brad Keselowski may be on the brink of glory

Way back in 2009, Brad Keselowski’s aggressive tactics fetched him his first win in his second Cup year at Talladega. Keselowski had pushed Kyle Busch, apparently in a blocking move. Then in the end, Keselowski collided with pack leader Carl Edwards, the latter getting airborne and hitting the retaining fence. Ultimately Brad had his way as he entered Victory Lane, even though Kyle Busch spun him post-race in revenge. 

Brad Keselowski’s reckless tactics toned down on his sixth and final Talladega victory. Yet he overcame early damage and nailed his 35th career win at the GEICO 500 race in 2021. That marked the start of a long break, as he would go 107 races winless.

The Next Gen car’s introduction coincided with Keselowski’s winless streak. In his last Talladega run in October 2023, a late wreck threw a wrench in his plans to win. Until then, he ran well, winning Stage 2. 

Last year, he said: “If you compare it to the Gen 6 car, the Gen 6 car was a lot more lane independent,” he explained. “And that was certainly took a little bit of time to get used to. You know, we did get a couple of tests in early on and got our cars really driving good. We had some good driving cars, and that certainly helps, and we’ve got some really good power under the hoods with Doug Yates and that helps as well. And then it’s just a matter of developing the tactics.”

This season, Brad Keselowski has been coping with the Cup car’s difficulties. He has progressively improved, capping his top-five finishes with a runner-up finish at Texas. It seems like victory is just around the corner. 

Brad Keselowski is eager to snap his second-place tie with Jeff Gordon’s win tally.

Keselowski was eager to get close to Dale Jr

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When Brad Keselowski swerved into Victory Lane in Talladega in 2021, he achieved a milestone. He tied with Jeff Gordon and Dale Jr for the second-most wins in Talladega, ranking below Dale Earnhardt Sr’s 10. He was ecstatic post-race. “I would have never dreamed I’d tie Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. here. That’s something. Those guys are really legends.”

Now Keselowski is hungry for more wins. Last year in October, he ardently wished to break that second-place tie. “You know, my family is going to be there and I want to be able to win with them there and I want to be able to break into that second place. Dale Sr.’s record is still pretty far away, but it still would be nice to own second place.”

Who knows, Brad Keselowski might finally surpass Dale Jr and Jeff Gordon in the upcoming GEICO 500 race in Talladega this weekend.