“Want Him to Be Upset”: Brad Keselowski Does Not Want Chris Buescher to Change His Style Despite NASCAR Heartbreak

RFK Racing driver and co-owner Brad Keselwoski was finally able to break his 110-race winless streak in Darlington on Sunday. However, the cost of his victory was the loss of his teammate Chris Buescher. The #17 Ford Mustang driver’s tangle with Tyler Reddick in the late stage of the race was what helped Keselowski end up in victory lane unopposed. The general consensus is that Buescher would’ve won the event had it not been for Reddick pushing him into the wall.

The same idea also brings forward the question of whether he has to shift to a more aggressive/dirtier driving style to prevent losing out in such scenarios. From Keselowski’s point of view, his teammate would be better off sticking to being the clean driver that he is now.

He told the press in his media availability, “Chris has his style and it’s worked really really well for him. I don’t think Chris needs to change a darn thing about what he does. It might not have worked out today but there’s other days where it works for him and makes him special. Makes him good.” While he understands why Buescher’s final position (30th) would be hard to stomach, he wants it to be so.

He continued, “It should be hard to stomach. That’s what you want out of your driver, right? You want him to be upset when he doesn’t win. So, yeah I would say… Chris isn’t sitting in front of me now. But I would tell him to just keep being Chris. Keep doing what you do.” Buescher currently sits 15 points above the 2024 playoff cutoff. A victory on Sunday would have put him in the safe zone.

Buescher admits feeling selfish after Keselowski’s victory in Darlington

Buescher did not let his feelings toward Reddick be hidden after the race. He came out strong against the driver and said that his apologies did not mean much considering what happened on the track cannot be changed. The pain he was experiencing did not allow him to take complete joy in the success of Keselowski either. 

He admitted that the loss was “selfishly, is hurting me.” He continued, “On the flip side, I’m stoked for Brad and the 6 bunch and RFK to get a win here, that’s huge. But right now, selfishly, I’m mad for my team and our group. We had a great day there and we didn’t get anything to show for it.” Buescher will be looking forward to the Coca-Cola 600 that will pop up after the All-Star race this weekend.