When they were both in their prime, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch had one of the best rivalries in the NASCAR Cup Series. Keselowski won the 2012 Cup championship, his only one to date, while Busch claimed the title in 2015 and 2019. Unfortunately, Father Time has caught up with both drivers.
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Keselowski is now 41 while Busch turned 40 in May. A couple of months ago, they filmed a hilarious “Back to the Future” spinoff promo to announce NASCAR’s return to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season finale next year.
It was also where they won their respective championships. Naturally, Keselowski grew serious and introspective about whether he and Busch will ever rekindle their longtime rivalry.
“I think we’re both in a position where it’s hard to have a rivalry. And I’ve said this throughout my career, when you’re not competing for wins,” Keselowski said during Saturday’s media availability at Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to Sunday’s Brickyard 400.
Indeed, Busch, the winningest driver in NASCAR history with 232 victories (including 63 in Cup), is currently on a 79-race winless streak dating back to 2023. Keselowski, meanwhile, has 36 career Cup wins but only one in the last four years, which came at Darlington in 2024.
“Right now, neither of us have consistently been in a spot where we’re competing for wins,” Keselowski said. “So any type of rivalry is really just a distraction.
“We’re both searching, trying to get our programs better. So I would say there’s definitely a back seat to all that. He’s got his things he’s going through and we’ve got things we’re going through.”
Brad @keselowski would like to rekindle the rivalry with @KyleBusch, but “you’re not getting in a fight over 15th-place finishes.”
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— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) July 26, 2025
While both their careers may be on borrowed time, fans have great memories of their past on-track battles. And although it’s unlikely to happen again, Keselowski still tries to hold out some hope.
“I would love to rekindle that rivalry because in my eyes what that means is we’re competing with each other for wins,” he said. “I always tell our people, ‘You don’t get into fights for a 15th place finish. Actually, that should be a NASCAR rule. If you get into a fight and you’re not running in the top-10, then you’re out of here.
“When you’re running up front, those are the good rivalries. I don’t think the two of us have seen each other much up front. When he’s up front, I’m not up front and vice-versa. I’d love to see that rekindled because it would mean we’re both running pretty well.”
