Will Brad Keselowski Emerge as HMS & JGR’s Homestead Thorn as He Passes Championship Torch to Chris Buescher?

This time last year, 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski scored his first-ever top-5 finish for RFK Racing. While the veteran’s magic has worked in the team ever since he took over the charge, buying his way into the Roush Fenway team, the downtrodden team has had a resurgence, bringing back the momentum to the Ford camp. Things are a bit uneven this time. The RFK Racing co-owner was one of the four drivers who were ousted from the 2nd playoff eliminator in Roval, Charlotte.

Despite getting knocked out of the tournament, veteran Keselowski secured a top-five finish, crossing the finish line 4th amidst the HMS-JGR tussle that ensued at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The driver even got on top, chasing the race leader for the spot while being the only Ford in the top 5, giving a respite to Ford fans. This has now raised a significant question: can the veteran be a threat to HMS and JGR’s championship contention and maybe pull off an upset given the driver’s decent track record at Homestead and his Ford’s capabilities at the intermediate track? Let us dive a little deeper.

Here’s how Brad Keselowski can be HMS & JGR’s biggest challenge at Miami

An all-out war has broken out in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. As the action reaches Homestead-Miami Speedway the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets and Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas have taken the top positions. Last week’s race in Las Vegas was proof of this. The closing laps of the race saw an intense duel between the race winner, Kyle Larson, and JGR driver, Christopher Bell.

Larson who aced the first 2 stages of the race was looking unstoppable when Bell rose up to the occasion and gave the HMS driver a run for his money. Larson held on to the lead by the skin of his teeth to secure 4th win of the season by a close margin(0.082 seconds). Before the action reached its peak, Brad Keselowski took the lead at the beginning of Stage 2 from Denny Hamlin after a smooth pit strategy until Larson took charge to snatch the lead from him.

While the back-and-forth between Bell and Larson was unfolding, Keselowski was closely following the action, looking for any opportunity to pounce. Fortunately for Larson, Bell raced him clean into the finish line, with Keselowski crossing the checkered flag in 4th. As the playoff fray heads to another intermediate track, the #6 Ford’s capabilities and the wealth of experience Keselowski brings to the track can never be underestimated, as he can spoil the party for both Chevrolet and Toyota camps.

Though the veteran doesn’t have a win at the Miami track, his top best was a 3rd finish in 2014-2015. Keselowski has a 9.2 average starting position in Miami—his best among active tracks—with 11 straight starts inside the top 10 and eight starts inside the top five overall.

WATCH THIS STORY: Brad Keselowski’s superstar shockingly warns RFK Racing boss 

Keselowski’s driver reflects on his “not-near-enough” finish at Vegas and reveals his mindset heading into Homestead

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As the Cup Series extravaganza is reaching its epic conclusion, the number of Fords left is dwindling. 2023 has certainly been a tough year for the all-American manufacturer, especially with their top teams failing to perform and missing the mark miserably. While this hasn’t been the case in RFK Racing, as the action reaches the mile-and-a-half speedway in Miami, just two Fords are left in the picture.

Chris Buescher with his #17 and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney with his #2 Ford And to be quite honest here, things aren’t looking good for either driver. Though the Texas Prosper native finished 11th, at this point, that is nowhere near the expected mark. Reflecting on his Vegas performance, he simply said, “Tough result.“

“For a mile and a half it’s a good finish really but it’s just not near enough with who we’re racing against so I had a good racecar just lost track position in the middle and really really struggled to get it back,” said Buescher. He then revealed his mindset heading to Miami, he said, “Same as always, go to the racetrack, be fast, win you know it’ll fix everything, everything we got going on.” 

READ MORE: “Dug Himself a Hole”- Jeff Burton Warns Brad Keselowski’s Superstar as Costly Vegas Mistake Spells Playoff Doom