RFK Racing ‘has a shot’ at making Championship 4

Since Keselowski joined RFK as a co-owner beginning with the 2022 season, he brought immediate changes in team operations as well as new personnel.

Improved results on the track have been slower to achieve but took a big step forward last year when his teammate, Chris Buescher, won three times and advanced to the Round of 8 in the series playoffs.

Keselowski locked himself into this year’s playoffs by ending his 110-race winless streak with a victory at Darlington, S.C., earlier this season. While Buescher has yet to win this year, he has been in contention several times.

Both drivers appear well-positioned for the start of the 2024 playoffs, which begin at Atlanta in September.

“You know, 2022 was not a lot of fun but 2023 we absolutely made the most of it,” Keselowski said this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Being back in 2024, it just kind of feels like a redemption ride to be a part of turning around the organization and to some degree my own career.

“When I did the deal at RFK, you hated to resign to losing a year or two of your career, but the reality is that you knew that was what it was going to be. Now we’re in the third season. I feel like we’re more competitive in some ways.

“More importantly, I feel like we’re a lot more prepared for the playoffs than we were last year. And I think we’ll have a better playoff run than we did last year.”

Steady improvement

Both Buescher and Keselowski advanced to the playoffs last year, with Buescher ending up seventh in the series standings and Keselowski eighth.

While the duo’s performance was the best the organization had seen in more than a decade, Keselowski believes even more is possible this season.

“I think we realistically have a shot at getting both cars in that Round of 8 and one of the cars in the championship round,” he said. “From there, who knows what’s going to happen?

“I’m excited about that progress and I’m just eager to see it through.”

Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, Fastenal Ford Mustang and Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

With NASCAR’s return to the IMS oval this weekend for the first time since 2020, Keselowski is one of the few drivers in the field with a win on that configuration.

There are many unknowns in the race…