Brad Keselowski stepped into big shoes when he signed up as a co-owner of RFK Racing in 2022. He has since transformed the team into a regular contender for wins again and revived much of its lost glory. As he continues to do an incredible job at the helm of his ship, he realizes that his role doesn’t end with doing justice to RFK Racing in its singularity.
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The 2012 Cup Series champion opened up about an ambitious plan that he had for NASCAR in a recent talk with Kevin Harvick. He wants the entire stock car racing industry to completely shut down for a few weeks mid-year to refresh, reorder, and recollect itself before jumping into the rest of the season. By shutdown, he means zero activities related to racing.
Unfortunately for him, the concept did not strike a strong chord with the other team owners when he spoke to them about it.
“The biggest reason why I think it is important is our sport really relies on this ambassador-type relationship whether it be with our fans or the junior level. We need the whole garage area to be in a good mindset and not be burned out.” – Brad Keselowski
Keselowski believes that the entire crew, regardless of position, is an ambassador for the sport and that it needs to be in a healthy mental space to inspire the fans. He went on to provide examples of when fans have come up to him appreciating the engagements that they had with his crew members. Those experiences alone can push them to attend more races and become stronger fans, he underlined.
Brad @keselowski thinks a yearly #NASCAR industry shutdown would be great for drivers, teams, and the sport. He tells @KevinHarvick why. pic.twitter.com/aFyWx8whyG
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) June 20, 2024
Keselowski wants NASCAR to serve its current fans first and foremost
Talking to Harvick about the way the sanctioning body picks new race venues based on a city’s population and economy alone, Keselowski expressed his discontent.
He said carefully, phrasing his words, “We get kind of excited about the idea of competing in these markets that might have 10 million people living in the city or whatever it might be. And sometimes we lose sight of the fact that why don’t we just serve the fans we already have?”
However, he did acknowledge that NASCAR has done a tremendous job by adding Iowa to the schedule. The race that went down last weekend was a massive success and thrilled fans from the region who’ve never had the chance to go see a Cup Series race. The only hope of the former champion is that the body continues to get its race venues right and on a similar taste.
