Victories have been hard to come by for Brad Keselowski and his No. 6 RFK Racing team over the last four seasons. Well, since Keselowski joined the team as a co-owner in 2022, they have won just one race. At Phoenix on Sunday, there was a golden opportunity to change that underwhelming tally.
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However, fate had other plans for Keselowski in the season finale. Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney made a last-lap pass on Keselowski after the overtime restart that defined the outcome of the race. Blaney crossed the checkered flag 0.097 seconds ahead of Keselowski.
The 2012 champion was understandably frustrated. However, he maintained his grace while speaking to the press post the race and detailed how the near-miss is something his team has encountered all season.
“It’s kind of the story of our season. We’re just needing a little bit of speed, trying to put ourselves in position. We were in position as well as we could,” said Keselowski.
“I just wasn’t quite fast enough. Another second place. I felt like we were in a good position, but the No. 5 [Kyle Larson] and the No. 12 [Ryan Blaney] were just stupid fast. That’s what we had,” he added.
The runner-up finish in Phoenix was Keselowski‘s sixth top-5 result of the 2025 season. He had finished twice as the runner-up, in Atlanta and in Bristol. So his reaction to Sunday’s result is warranted.
RFK Racing struggled to find that one missing piece to reach Victory Lane throughout the season. Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece have ended the season without a win as well.
Keselowski reminds everyone about what makes NASCAR great
In the final restart, many chose to change two tires, and others chose to change all four tires. Some, including Keselowski, decided to stay out. He was asked about this decision and the reason for the high number of tire failures by Frontstretch.
“We just stayed out on the tires. Made a gamble. Almost paid off,” replied Keselowski. “Everybody was just pushing the limits. The drivers, the teams. That’s what makes this sport great.”
Blaney ended up as the winner, Kyle Larson finished in third place, and clinched the 2025 Cup Series title. Denny Hamlin, who was one of the most dominant drivers of the day, finished in a heartbreaking sixth place.
RFK Racing’s Preece finished in ninth place, while Buescher brought his No. 17 Ford Mustang home in 12th place. The team now heads into the offseason to work toward making a stark turnaround in their results in 2026.
