Who… should you be talking about after the race?
Darlington Raceway favors drivers who respect the track’s surface and configuration, and it’s no surprise that a veteran driver took the checkers for the win in Sunday’s (May 12) Goodyear 400. Brad Keselowski had been battling Tyler Reddick for most of the day, and the final restart of the race set up a final race to the finish with the pair on the front row.
Reddick had the preferred outside line thanks to his pit stall selection and exit from pit road, but Keselowski hung with him on the restart. Teammate Chris Buescher tried to swoop in to help but found his closing rate too high and instead took the lead from his boss and Reddick. Reddick recovered and went after Buescher while Keselowski stalked the pair from behind, waiting for one of the leaders to open the door for him.
And they did. Racing Buescher for the lead, Reddick washed up into the No. 17, resulting in a cut tire for each driver. Keselowski inherited the lead, and from there, easily held off Ty Gibbs to take the win.
It was Keselowski’s first win as a driver since taking on part ownership in RFK Racing. It was his 36th career win and first since the spring Talladega Superspeedway event in 2021.
And don’t forget Josh Berry. Berry didn’t get much attention from the broadcast booth, but Darlington is his kind of track. Racing the track brought Berry his best finish during a year when his Stewart-Haas Racing team hasn’t had a lot of bright spots. Berry finished a solid third after starting 33rd, with teammate Chase Briscoe also scoring a top-five run on the day.
What… is the big question leaving this race in the rearview?
It took 13 races for a Ford to find victory lane. Keselowski ended the drought with the win, and five of the top 10 finishers were sporting the Blue Oval.
But are Ford’s struggles over?
The manufacturer’s stable has made gains in recent weeks. They fell about two inches short of winning at Kansas Speedway a week ago, and this week, the five top 10s were spread among four organizations: RFK Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing, Rick Ware Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
But noticeably absent was Ford’s flagship team, Team Penske, who didn’t crack the top 20 at Darlington. Ryan Blaney had been running well before getting involved in an incident, but Joey Logano and Austin Cindric languished in the final stage after Logano posted a fourth-place finish in stage…
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