The date was Dec. 14, 2021 and I was on the phone with Brad Keselowski.
This was sort of a big deal for me.
Despite having covered NASCAR since 2015 for multiple national outlets, it was my first time interviewing the 2012 NASCAR Cup champion in a one-on-one capacity.
I had arranged the interview with the primary goal of writing a story for the February 2022 issue of Speed Sport Magazine focused on Keselowski’s transition into a driver / co-owner role at RFK Racing.
After a decade of success with Team Penske, a partnership that felt like it could’ve lasted the rest of Keselowski’s career, the Michigan-native had shifted gears in a big way.
As he drove home from RFK Racing headquarters, Keselowski gave me a lot to chew on – including the news that teams wouldn’t have enough Next Gen cars to start the next season.
But 10 months later, there’s still one thing that’s stuck with me.
It was what Keselowski had to say about moving into a new, challenging chapter in his life and the need to “reinvent” oneself. Keselowski said that “reinventing yourself is just part of the natural human process” and that “as a society, we expect growth out of people.”
When people “stop growing,” Keselowski viewed it as a “great tragedy in my mind, because we expect (growth) out of ourselves as well. And I think (RFK Racing) is just that, it’s an opportunity to grow that didn’t exist anywhere else.”
There’s no denying that Keselowski is one of the more opinionated, thoughtful NASCAR drivers you’ll find.
Anytime over the last eight years I’ve gotten the chance, I’ve asked Keselowski if he’s read any good books lately. Like fellow Michigander Erik Jones, he usually has an answer.
There are the downsides to Keselowski (in my opinion) – such as his frustrating skepticism of concussion science and that he doesn’t “particularly believe in higher education, I think it’s a crutch for ethnography,” despite him being an employer and driver who benefits from engineers who more were required to have college experience to be considered for their jobs.
Someone you find interesting, but fundamentally disagree with on multiple issues, can still have an impact on you.
Why did Keselowski’s words about “reinvention” strike a chord with me?
When I talked with him, it was just over 13 months since I had been laid off by NBC Sports after nearly six years covering…
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