NASCAR Review: Why Phoenix Was So Important for Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher and RFK

The season opener at Daytona was a disaster for Brad Keselowski. The RFK Racing driver/owner got slammed with a DNF and for Chris Buescher, it was a disappointing 18th-place finish. Although Buescher was able to record a top-10 next week at Atlanta, Keselowski went home with another DNF. The following week, Buescher finished last at Las Vegas, while his boss Keselowski couldn’t do anything better than a P13 finish. Needless to say, 2024 seemed to start on a rather sour note for the RFK Racing duo.

However, Buescher’s runner-up position and Keselowski’s top-5 finish at Phoenix were silver linings amidst their miseries. Indeed, what they did for the team was commendable, but the significance of the performance was way more than that.

In a recent Motorsports on NBC podcast, veteran analyst and ex-driver Jeff Burton said, “Brad (Keselowski) did not qualify well; he was toward the back, was able to drive through the field…Buescher was able to drive through the field on that last run, I think he restarted 10th or in that range and that’s what feels good, right? When you can have forward momentum, you can be passing cars. You have the speed to make that happen…that’s what they can really feel good about.”

The fact that Buescher and Keselowski’s Fords were fast enough to pass others and stay up front proved that they had the speed to win races. And that confidence is what any driver and team needs to be competitive.

Buescher’s team will have to make do without two important crew members at Bristol

Luck at Las Vegas was particularly bad for Brad Keselowski’s driver. He finished last due to a detached wheel issue. That ultimately paved the way for NASCAR to suspend his jack operator, Nicholas Patterson, and front tire changer, Jakob Prall, for violating sections 8.8.10.4 A&C of NASCAR’s rulebook.

However, six days after the suspension was sanctioned, RFK Racing decided to drop its appeal. As a result, the suspension is to be enforced on the next two Cup races at Bristol and then at The Circuit of The Americas. According to team co-owner Keselowski, the appeal had given them enough time to select replacements for Buescher’s team.

“To bring in a new tire changer, a jackman, it’s a major undertaking,” Keselowski explained. “These guys are really good. They’re highly skilled athletes… And so, you’d like to have as much time as possible to bring somebody up to make sure you don’t have the same problem again.”

So how will the owner-driver duo perform at Bristol? Will one among the two be the first Ford driver to clinch a playoff spot? Only time will tell.