Brad Keselowski Admits to $46 Billion Giant Partner’s Struggle After Poor Regular Season Outcome

Once sitting at 32nd in points, Brad Keselowski managed to claw his way back with the help of some steady summer runs. At Michigan, a top-three car was undone by a pit-lane speeding penalty and bad luck, leaving him frustrated and still chasing victory. He said, “I’m disappointed I didn’t get it done. … We were faster on the day,” but still ended up 10th. However, that surge clearly was not enough to land him a playoff spot. And while these highlight his struggle on track, the ramifications go beyond that.

Brad Keselowski’s candid reflections on RFK Racing’s 2025 season reveal a team wrestling with both performance gaps and the shifting complexities of high-stakes sponsorship deals. Keselowski was straightforward: “We have some areas to improve. I hesitate to point out any specific area that is kind of our team’s IP or the company’s IP… Certainly, the numbers are what they are, and it’s hard to have to improve.”

The business side has added further strain. The 2025 season saw Kroger, a $46 billion retail giant, become a primary RFK Racing sponsor with an expanded portfolio representing nearly 20 brands. This major sponsorship brought both new resources and unforeseen challenges—longstanding partners like King’s Hawaiian found themselves in a conflict of interest due to overlapping product categories with Kroger’s brands, sparking tension within the team’s commercial framework.

On the track, Keselowski’s season has been a minefield of ups and downs. At the Daytona regular season finale, he started strong from 10th, quickly moving up to fourth, but fell back due to a pit stop on lap 32, finishing 18th after a late push. This race encapsulated much of their year—competitive speed undermined by missed opportunities. Keselowski pointed out, “We had opportunities with all three of our cars this year to win races, and it didn’t come together. We need to have more opportunities to win. And when we have those opportunities, we need to make them count.”

During the 2025 regular season, all three 3 cars failed to bag a win, which resulted in the crashing of the playoff dreams. For Buescher, Daytona was a must-win, but he got shuffled in the pack and barely managed to recover from that. For Preece, on the other hand, Daytona could have been that steal he needed all along, but he got caught behind wrecks and had draft trouble, which ultimately led him to finish mid-pack.

Yet Keselowski remains cautiously optimistic about progress amid adversity. Reflecting on the summer months, he said, “The summer stretch was very good. Even though you didn’t make the playoffs, what type of momentum have you guys been able to build?… it shows what we’re capable of for sure. When we fire on all eight cylinders… we had a really good month of July, early August. We had a couple of opportunities to win and weren’t quite able to punch through, but it feels good to be that competitive.”

Operational issues have compounded performance struggles. Keselowski’s average finish and running positions fell well short of expectations, with incidents like a pit road accident at Talladega, a pit road mistake at Pocono where he entered while the pits were closed, and a tire blowout leading to a DNF at Kansas. Changes in crew chief dynamics added another layer; Jeremy Bullins took over from Matt McCall in 2025, but Keselowski has yet to replicate earlier career-high successes with Bullins.

This combination of on-track struggles and complex sponsorship dynamics sets the stage for a deeper examination of Keselowski’s leadership challenges and the critical scrutiny he faces from NASCAR peers like Kevin Harvick.

Kevin Harvick’s honest admission about Brad Keselowski’s leadership

Kevin Harvick, a seasoned NASCAR veteran, recently placed Brad Keselowski’s leadership and performance under intense scrutiny on his Happy Hour podcast. Harvick pointed out that Keselowski, despite being the team’s star and co-owner, has struggled to consistently deliver victories, even after a modest climb in the points standings over the summer. Harvick emphasized, “Over the last six weeks, they’ve definitely run better… but haven’t won. It always seems like something happens during the day that keeps them from being in position to win, so I think it’s a tough conversation.”

The challenges extend beyond pure driving performance, with Harvick urging RFK Racing to consider structural changes to regain competitiveness. “It’s that time of the year where you have to start deciding. Are you going to make changes on your team to put yourself in a position to win?” Harvick asked, highlighting the critical evaluation of crew chiefs, engineers, and pit crews in this phase of the season. Keselowski’s crew chief, Matt McCall, has faced scrutiny amid the team’s inability to consistently close out races, adding pressure for potential shifts before contract renewals.

Harvick also contrasted Keselowski’s struggles with Ryan Preece’s strong performances, noting that Preece exceeded expectations and emerged as a real contender. Preece, driving for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) until the 2024 season before finding a new footing, has surprised observers with consistent top-15s and occasional flashes of speed that outpaced expectations. “When you look at that car, six-car it’s supposed to be the anchor on the performance side, and they just… they have not been,” Harvick pointed out.

And with the 2025 season concluding without playoff qualification for all RFK Racing cars, Harvick’s frank assessment signals a pivotal moment, pushing the team to evaluate its leadership and strategy to rebound in future seasons.