With just days to go for the Daytona 500, the anticipation among fans, insiders, and racing old-timers regarding the Cup drivers and how they would fare this season has intensified. It’s that time of the year when bold predictions are of the order. And recently, Kevin Harvick broached the topic of Brad Keselowski’s track record and future in NASCAR on his Happy Hour podcast.
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The 2014 NASCAR Cup champion noted that while Keselowski excelled during his tenure with Team Penske, his performance has seen a dip since taking on the dual role of driver-owner at RFK Racing.
“I think Chris Buescher has outperformed him over the last couple of years for sure… Can Brad Keselowski get back to that consistency that he had at Penske and can he do that as a driver and owner? So, I haven’t seen it yet,” said Harvick, before elaborating on why he felt Brad’s performance was not in the championship-winning realms.
“I think that they have the speed on occasion to go out and win some races but it comes in small pockets and it’s just not been it’s not been where it needs to be to be back in Championship mode,” added Harvick.
However, the former SHR driver recognized the effort put in by Keselowski as an owner of RFK Racing, particularly with the changes he has implemented within the organization.
Harvick expressed his belief that Keselowski will continue to influence RFK with structured organization, racing acumen, and all the elements of good leadership to boost the overall team performance.
But he remained skeptical about Keselowski’s prospects of winning another championship despite witnessing sporadic moments of excellence from the #6 driver in recent years and despite a change in crew chief.
“I don’t think we ever see another championship out of Keselowski,” stated Harvick.
Keselowski’s performance since joining RFK Racing
Since taking on the dual role of co-owner and driver at RFK Racing in 2022, the best position Keselowski has achieved in the final driver standings is P8 in 2023. Despite winning the Darlington race last year — his first win in three years — Keselowski was eliminated from the playoffs in the Round of 16. His least impressive performance at RFK Racing was a P24 finish in 2022.
In contrast, Keselowski’s tenure with Team Penske was consistent with high finishes in the top 10 of the final standings, save for the early days of his career. He also captured his Cup Championship with Penske in 2012.
On the other hand, his teammate Buescher secured his first top-10 finish in the driver standings in 2023. Buescher’s initial victory was at Pocono in 2016 with Front Row Motorsports, and he didn’t revisit the winner’s circle until 2022, following Keselowski’s leadership transition. Since then, Buescher has added four more wins over two years.
As the current season unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Keselowski can rediscover that Penske-era momentum driving the #6 Ford.
