A while ago, Denny Hamlin was worried about NASCAR allowing anyone to participate in the lower series. Now, Brad Keselowski is echoing his concerns with his own warning about drivers like Cleetus McFarland being allowed to race in the NASCAR National Series. While he does consider the Cup Series away from the controversy, he also wants NASCAR to rethink its strategy about the lower series.

Brad Keselowski questions NASCAR’s intentions

In Hamlin’s podcast, the No. 11 driver was clear that drivers like Cleetus McFarland should be evaluated more strictly. While Hamlin stayed strictly neutral, Keselowski did not hold back while questioning NASCAR about their goals.

“I was thinking it has to connect to what they want the series to be. The ARCA series is the bottom. In the Truck Series and O’Reilly Series, I think you zoom out, look at the picture, and say, ‘What do you want those series to be?’ and the approval process should connect to that accordingly. I don’t know if that’s really the case right now.”

That is very important to consider. Why? That’s because NASCAR and The CW are trying to bring a major overhaul to the O’Reilly Series. They want to present it as a competitor to the Cup Series in terms of skill and racing action. The CW is also trying to build its driver profiles accordingly.

Amidst all these ambitions, the addition of a driver who seems to have popped out of nowhere feels questionable. Cleetus McFarland does not seem to be at the same level as the other drivers of the O’Reilly Series or the Truck Series. That’s a strong reason why Richard Childress Racing’s investment in him could backfire.

His presence in the sport at such a level undermines the authority of the O’Reilly Series. It gives off the impression that with enough money and backing, anyone can get a seat in the O’Reilly Series. That is totally against the philosophy that The CW is trying to advocate via its commercials.

Brad Keselowski’s words hit home, especially considering the mistakes McFarland made at the Daytona oval. Hamlin was worried about him wrecking out other drivers who were actually championship contenders. So while the RCR deal with McFarland seems like an amazing opportunity for him, it doesn’t sound convincing considering his current skillset.

But while Keselowski is against NASCAR on this point, he is rather supportive of the officials in one specific direction.

Brad Keselowski attests to NASCAR’s short-track package

Soft tires, powerful cars, small tracks, and a lot of mayhem. This is the only perfect way to describe a NASCAR race at a short track. The soft tires create so much falloff that the drivers can’t help but find themselves at the edge of grip.

And Keselowski thinks that it is a great idea for NASCAR to implement these changes in order to make racing more fun and enjoyable for the audience.

“I mean, I am actually looking forward to Darlington, so it is going to be a very difficult race. But there’s a big loss in grip and an increase in cornering speeds. It’s going to be really easy to get into trouble.”

Not only that, he is also welcoming the idea of taking the current short-track package to intermediate ovals. Something, he believes, is possible even with a mid-season change and won’t require a lot of afterthought.

“Yeah, these changes can always be made. I am open-minded if NASCAR wants to do that. I think Darlington will be a good test to see where it will end up.”

While on paper, the short-track package does not sound that important, the effects it has on racing are much more prominent. The short-track package from NASCAR not only bumps the power, but it also takes away the safety grip that the drivers had with the grippy Cup Series tires.

On the other hand, there are more crashes on the tracks that use the short-track package. But it will only make the drivers more careful and actually challenge them to adapt a better racing strategy throughout the weekend.