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Brad Keselowski Insists on More Factory Support to Compete with Gibbs, Hendrick and Penske

Neha Dwivedi
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Aug 10, 2025; Watkins Glen, New York, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (6) prior to the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International.

Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing has been holding its own, but it still has a mountain to climb before it can compete with powerhouses like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, or even Team Penske. Despite strong backing from Ford, the level of factory support they receive remains far below what Penske enjoys.

When Keselowski was recently asked about how the introduction of the Next Gen cars was supposed to level the playing field, yet only three organizations now appear to receive the lion’s share of factory support, and what RFK must do to join that club, his answer hit the nail on the head: “Get more factory support,” he said.

According to Keselowski, “That’s the game right now. It’s, you know, you want to be tier one at your OEM, and there’s only room, it seems like, for one of the end of each OEM, and that’s what you’re seeing happen.”

The 41-year-old further reflected on the possibility of his team becoming Ford’s number one priority. He said“Oh, you never know how things are going to play out. I would say that we don’t have any active discussions along those lines.”

“So, but the sport is about persistence. And I’m out here with our company, and we’re being persistently, driving performance. You ask just about, you know, how I feel about our teams being 17, 18, 19th. You know, I think we’re in line for, and we clearly could demonstrate a case that if we can get more support, we could be a top-tier team.”

Two seasons ago, RFK hit its stride with Chris Buescher stealing the show by winning three regular-season races at Richmond, Michigan, and Daytona, mostly aided by Keselowski’s teamwork from behind.

Last year, Buescher kept the fire burning with a hard-fought win at Watkins Glen after edging out Shane van Gisbergen, but his playoff bid fell short as he finished the season in 17th place. This year, despite notching five top-five and sixteen top-ten finishes, the No. 17 driver again finds himself sitting just outside the playoff bubble in 17th.

Keselowski, meanwhile, punched his ticket to the postseason last year with a win at Darlington, only to bow out after the Round of 12 in 13th place. This season, victory has stayed out of reach, though he has logged five top-five and ten top-ten finishes, putting him 20th in the standings.

As for RFK’s latest addition, Ryan Preece has hit the ground running. After moving from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing, Preece has delivered three top-five and eleven top-ten finishes, his best coming with a P3 at Las Vegas earlier in the year.

Judging by the numbers and on-track consistency, an uptick in factory or OEM support could be just what the doctor ordered for RFK Racing. With deeper backing, the team might soon have three drivers capable of running at the sharp end of the field week in and week out.

Post Edited By:Somin Bhattacharjee

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi

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Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 3000 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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