When it comes to stock car racing, unpredictability is the name of the game. A driver who has been having a somewhat difficult time can turn his game around and dominate the track. With just three seasonal races to go until the list of contenders is finalized in the first round of the playoffs, each win from here on will have a priceless impact on the points table. This season, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing has done the unexpected by winning in two consecutive Cup races at Richmond Raceway and Michigan International Speedway. And that too, by the hands of the same driver, Chris Buescher.
NASCAR fans seldom see Roush visiting the tracks during races and the owners of the Fenway Sports Group focus more on managing Boston Red Sox and other traditional sports teams. Hence, Brad Keselowski is the one giving interviews after the races. At Michigan, the proud owner of RFK Racing didn’t shy away from the unexpected yet happy turn of events.
The big four for Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
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When Brad Keselowski left Penske for RFK Racing, a buzz went around the alleys of NASCAR that Roush offered Keselowski a stake mostly because it was beneficial for them to have an experienced top-tier driver like Keselowski in the driver market. Although the latter has not seen the face of victory as a driver, but, as an owner, he has shouldered a lion’s share of the responsibilities of taking the team forward.
A few minutes into the pre-race interview, a reporter asked the #6 Ford Mustang driver if he thought the speed of his Fords would assist them in diving deeper into the playoff battle. The speed that the Fords of RFK displayed at Michigan overwhelmed him. Keselowski admitted, “To show this kind of speed, yeah, that’s a big statement.”
Brad said that now that their cars have secured a spot in the playoffs, he has four main races ahead of him.
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“…if our cars run like this at Kansas, Vegas, Texas, Homestead, oh, man! we’ve got a shot going really deep in the playoffs. So that’s really thrilling. Those are four big races for us,” he admitted.
Brad Keselowski, the owner, may be on cloud nine, but Brad Keselowski, the driver, not so much. To be on the losing end at his home track, the fourth-place finisher at Michigan was full of mixed emotions.
Brad Keselowski is conflicted on the duality of roles at Michigan
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While the excitement for Keselowski and his team was evidently high, he was forthright with being surprised by the winds of change for RFK Racing, especially with Buescher’s lightning speed that only elevated from Stage 2. “This was not a track that I thought we would come to and have a significant level of success… the team did a great job of adjusting on both cars and make them faster” he said.
While recalling the blazing speed of his Ford Mustang during the ultimate laps of the race, he reflected, “…at the end of the race my car was just a rocket. I think we went from 10-11 seconds back from the lead to four or five there by the end of the race…”
But then, the driver-owner tug-o-war is just undeniable. The #6 driver felt conflicted, regretting not being fast enough to win but also happy to own the victorious team.
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“I want to be there as a driver, don’t get me wrong but being there as an owner is phenomenal as well, and like I said I’m still soaking it in, with all the mixed emotions of, ‘Hey, man! I was so fast at the end. If I just could have got any kind of breaks to go our way, but then also just thrilled to death for Chris,” he added and smiled at the audience. Drivers may become owners, but the fire that drives them in the high-octane field never ceases to exist.