“Gotta Be Better”- Brad Keselowski’s Championship Wildcard Beats Himself Up in Self-Blame Rant

Brad Keselowski has been a harbinger of change. The 2012 Cup Series winner’s addition to Roush Fenway Racing has given rise to a unique combination of experience and adrenaline. Since the team’s win at Bristol late in 2022, it has used it as a trampoline to reach the heights it did this season. Their Fords have been sturdy, consistent, versatile, and arguably the best-running Mustangs in the Cup Series this season.

Although Brad Keselowski couldn’t find a win amid so many positives, he gathered stage points regularly and eventually qualified for the playoffs comfortably. The 39-year-old needed more points for a place in the Round of 8. Does that imply RFK Racing will not be a threat in the championship run-in? Keselowski’s final ray of hope dares to disagree.

Chris Buescher believes it was a ‘good day’ at Las Vegas as Brad Keselowski finishes strong

The spearhead for RFK Racing’s offense this season is Chris Buescher. The 30-year-old has been in the spotlight since his win in Bristol last year. Converting their efforts into success this season, the #17 Mustang driver turned heads with three wins in the regular season. Impressively, those three wins also comprise two consecutive wins at Richmond and Michigan, putting the team on course for playoffs.

Keselowski has imparted his valuable experience to Buescher, and the difference is already visible. A steadier approach with an increase in urgency with every race has fared well for the #17 team and already shot them to the round of 8. For a team that didn’t have a single driver in playoffs last year to being one step away from the Championship 4 race, the work that has been put in has surely paid off.

However, the recently concluded Las Vegas race turned out differently than they would have expected. While Keselowski had a strong race with a P4 finish, Buescher couldn’t find his groove and struggled with pit stops due to the ever-slick pits of Vegas. Reflecting on how the race fared for him, he said, “Everyone keeps saying tough result. I mean, it’s still a good day. You know, for a mile and a half it’s a good finish, really, but just not near enough with who we’re racing against.”

“I had a good race car, just lost track position in the middle and really, really struggled to get it back. So once it strung out a little bit towards the end, we were able to start rolling forward, able to pass a lot of good cars that we were ahead of most of the day or first stage and just ran out of time. Got to dive into it, and clean up a little but on my end, really struggled in the box on the pit road today. So gotta be better.”

With only two races left to fight for, Buescher will hope to move on from this forgettable race. Shortcomings like these at a crucial season stage for the team could be the reason for their elimination.

Read More: Brad Keselowski’s Racing Team’s “$450,000 Expense” in the City of Sin Loved by Fans

Buescher introspects on a pit lane disaster

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The car’s horrendous compatibility with the low-grip pit stalls hindered them all day. Buescher’s crew tried to brainstorm a solution throughout the race and could only do so much as he fell behind after starting the race in P5. He even failed to gather stage points, adding to their misery. On being asked how this impacted the team’s strategy by Racer, Buescher answered,

“It really just fell apart on pit road for the most part, and that’s my fault. It’s not our crew’s fault; they were good. I just couldn’t get in and out of our box and just continuously bled spots. I’ve got to figure out what I could do different, what we can do to try and get some of the rubber out of it, I guess.”

“I feel like it was stall and grip,” he explained. “You definitely see certain boxes are way more rubbered up after the Xfinity (Series) race. I don’t have the answer, but it sure felt like the box. I think this place always has a little bit of slick pit stalls, but nothing like that in the past.”

Situations like these can be frustrating and even more so when just three spots are left to claim. But Buescher is yet to lose his cool attributing their uncomfortable encounter to an ebb and flow of the profession. Crediting his team for their effort, he added,

“I just really struggled there and didn’t ever find a solution. Outside of that, we had good long-run speed, and fire-off speed was decent. We kind of bounced back and forth on balance, but I felt like we had a really strong car. I’m proud of everybody.”

Watch This Story: Brad Keselowski’s Excellence With RFK Might Fall Short as Pressure Starts to Get to his Debutant

The key is to be level-headed and focus on the areas to improve for the #17 team. What has been a hindrance today can also be overwritten as a lesson for tomorrow, especially considering how adaptive Brad Keselowski and co have been this season.