“Make Sure Someone Comes Back Home Alive”: Brad Keselowski’s Passionate Plea for Soldiers Resonates With NASCAR Fans

Brad Keselowski has paid tribute to the service of the United States Army multiple times in the past. He visited Camp Grayling in 2022 to support the National Guard’s Northern Strike exercise. He runs the Checkered Flag Foundation which honors military veterans through programs like Tribute to Veterans. These close associations are why he recently shot back at a rather insensitive X post.

Conservative influencer Harrison Krank had ridiculed how the US military had spent $45 million on a particular piece of bolt. What he failed to understand was how crucial that bolt was. This forced Keselowski to teach him a lesson. The RFK Racing co-owner wrote in response, “These bolts are used in critical areas that often time separate life and death.”

“They are inspected at every level to make sure someone comes back home alive, which costs time and money.” He continued to explain that the bolt was a product of the lessons that were learned after losing a great number of people and that it was worth every penny. He concluded his post with a damning message to his followers and the United States public.

These bolts are used in critical areas that often time separate life and death. They are inspected at every level to make sure someone comes back home alive, which costs time and money. They were created from lessons learned when people did not live as a result of using low… https://t.co/gXD7WNBVIZ

— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) November 23, 2024

“From someone who builds and maintains high dollar hardware let’s not allow messaging like this to throw away the wisdom of those who came before us so a few people can score some virtue points,” he finished. His reaction drew a number of positive responses that praised him for voicing out loud in support of the men and women who gave it their all in service to the nation.

Fans rally in support of Keselowski’s message

Former crew chief Chris Gabehart wrote, “Vert good points. Think about how expensive our track bar bolts had gotten towards the end of the Gen 6 era… hint to those not in the know. A LOT more than that!”

It is no secret that NASCAR uses the most advanced machinery on the planet to build its cars. If the costs incurred in stock car racing are monumental one can only imagine the case with the army.

Another fan said, “If there’s anything the government should spend money on it’s making sure our soldiers have the best of the best.” One more follower was pleased with the effort from Keselowski.

They commented, “Thank you for sharing, Brad, some honestly don’t know how much of a difference a quality bolt makes.” A former aviation professional entered the discussion to clear things up.

“That’s nothing,” they said. “I worked in aviation years ago and we paid more than that for certain bolts.” As the former Cup Series champion pointed out, good hardware can make all the difference on the battlefield and in dangerous situations. No amount of money will be too much to spend when it comes to ensuring the safety of the brave hearts in the military.