Brad Keselowski had a front-row view of the chaos at Kansas Speedway, but he did not appear too concerned about the role he played in the Stage 2 restart. While Carson Hocevar’s Chevrolet sustained significant damage in the ensuing multi-car crash, Keselowski said he did not know exactly what had happened after giving the Chevrolet driver a push.

“I don’t even know, did the 77 crash in it? I knew he was tore up,” Keselowski said after the race, in an interaction with FOX NASCAR (via Bob Pockrass on X).

The incident took place during the Stage 2 restart, after Noah Gragson’s engine failure brought out a caution. Hocevar moved to the right and made contact with Ty Gibbs before the field began scattering, with Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry, Erik Jones and Zane Smith also getting caught up.

Keselowski was directly behind Hocevar as everything unfolded, and he confirmed pushing the No. 77 before the trouble began, but insisted he could not see exactly how the crash developed.

“Yeah, I know. I gave him a push,” Keselowski added in his comments. “Then they started wrecking to my right. I couldn’t tell what happened.”

The incident became a talking point because of the recent tension between Keselowski and Hocevar. During the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington, Hocevar had spun Keselowski at Lap 107.

Following that, the RFK driver and co-owner gave a scathing remark to the media (as reported by NASCAR.com).

“His day is coming, and it’s coming hard. Watch out, Carson,” Keselowski said in early September.

The Darlington incident sparked speculation that the Kansas restart could have been an opportunity for revenge. Keselowski, however, did not appear interested in giving that theory any fuel.

Instead, his spotter TJ Majors had a very different assessment of the moment, calling it ‘the biggest move of the race’, as per Bob Pockrass. Keselowski appeared to embrace that description, instead of treating the restart as a problem.

“Well, it was. I went from 13th to 10th or whatever that was,” Keselowski said. “We gained a lot of track position there.”

The exchange captured the strange contrast surrounding the incident. Hocevar emerged from the restart with substantial damage to his Chevrolet, while Keselowski gained several positions and saw the move as a positive development for his own race.

According to a report from Heavy.com, Hocevar’s No. 77 Chevy suffered right-front damage, as it eventually finished three laps down.

Hocevar Reflects on Pivotal Moment in Kansas

Despite speculation around the restart and the revenge sentiment, Hocevar said he felt contact from multiple directions, but he also took some responsibility as he told USA Today Sports.

“He was in my blind spot, so I didn’t know he was shooting that middle,” Hocevar said. “So, yeah, I guess on me.”

However, the real frustration for the RFK driver came later in the race. There was a problem on pit road that cost him the track position he had gained during the chaotic restart. Despite this, Keselowski remained positive about the performance of his car and the overall strength of the RFK Racing package at Kansas.

“Unfortunately, we lost it back later when we got blocked in on pit road. But we were really pleased with our speed today. We ran really strong,” Keselowski said.

Keselowski ultimately finished P12, while Kyle Larson went on to win the race.

The Kansas restart became a curious chapter in the Keselowski-Hocevar drama. Hocevar’s damaged car and the previous Darlington incident naturally brought questions about whether there was some element of payback, but Keselowski’s own account was remarkably matter-of-fact. He had pushed the No. 77, the chaos unfolded to his right, and he simply could not see how Hocevar ended up in trouble.

Moreover, with TJ Majors calling it the ‘biggest move of the race,’ Keselowski’s biggest takeaway was the fact that the move delivered exactly what the No. 6 team needed: track position, even if it was short-lived.