Brad Keselowski rolled into Daytona riding a wave of emotion and urgency. Off the track, he welcomed a new baby boy, on it, he faced one of the most intense must-win scenarios of his career. With RFK Racing’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread, every lap under the lights carried weight. And Keselowski, never one for drama, brought a mindset as sharp and simple as the stakes.

RFK Racing isn’t just backing one driver- all three are in must-win mode, chasing playoff survival. The tension is real, the margin for error razor-thin. Keselowski’s recent surge has kept hope alive, but time is running out. And RFK is throwing everything it’s got at the final shot.

Brad Keselowski is determined to “win the race” amid lingering playoff pressure

Brad Keselowski’s week has been one for the memory books and not just because of what is happening on the track. Off it, he and his wife, Paige, welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy, adding a new chapter to their growing family alongside daughters Scarlett and Autumn and son Maize. The news lit up Keselowski’s social media, with the RFK racing co-owner sharing the joy with fans ahead of one of the most packed weekends of his career.

From nursery runs to high-speed runs, the 2012 Cup Series champion is living life in the fast lane both at home and at Daytona. Regardless of what unfolds on Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, Brad can already call it a good week. But make no mistake, he is not done yet. Winning is the only way into the 2025 playoff, and he knows the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Speaking to Bob Pockrass, he said, “Nice. It’s been a good week. Yeah, it’s been a good week. I’d like to finish it strong. You know, we’re running really well. We’re competitive. You know, obviously off the track, you know, having a baby was great. There’s a lot of really good things going on. Win the race. You know, you try to plan for races that have so much chaos and it’s kind of absurd to try to do that. So you just try to survive and win at the end.”

The cruel irony? If Brad Keselowski had started the year the way he has been finishing it, he likely wouldn’t be starting in a must-win scenario. Over his last 11 starts, he has rattled off seven top 10 finishes, including a runner-up result at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta and a third-place showing at Iowa Speedway. That kind of consistency would have easily secured a playoff berth had it come earlier in the season.

But the first half of Brad’s season was a grind, struggling to crack the top 20, let alone sniff a top 10. That’s sluggish start; all but guaranteed he had been backed into a corner by year’s end. The same storyline extends to his RFK racing teammates: Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece. Both are sitting 11th and 13th in the points standings, respectively, and both, like Brad, are winless in 2025.

It’s almost unthinkable to imagine a playoff grid without RFK, especially given the team’s steady performance throughout the season. But the math is unforgiving, and complaining about what has already happened won’t change a thing. For Brad, Chris, and Ryan Preece, there is just one path forward: throwing everything at Daytona, trying to control the chaos that is bound to erupt under the lights.

Brad summed up RFK’s game plan ahead of playoff pressure with trademark simplicity: win the race. Planning for a Daytona night race, he said, is kind of absurd because of the unpredictable nature of racing and the looming threat of multicar wrecks. For a driver riding the emotional high of a newborn arrival, that might be the perfect mix of motivation and perspective heading into one of NASCAR’s most unpredictable showdowns.

Keselowski slams NASCAR’s lightning policy born from past tragedy

Brad Keselowski didn’t hold back on Friday, taking NASCAR to task over its lightning safety protocols after qualifying for the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway was abruptly scrapped.

The RFK racing co-owners said the policy, born out of tragedy and tightened by insurance demands, has gone too far, even when the skies above the track aren’t stormy. His remarks tapped into a long-standing debate about where safety ends and over-caution begins in motorsports.

The flashpoint came when Cup Series qualifying was called off because lightning was detected within 8 miles of the track, despite the storm never directly passing over Daytona. Strict rules require everything to shut down in such conditions, leaving fans and teams idling in frustration.

Keselowski voiced his irritation on X, sharing that he had to “ explain to my family why cars weren’t on track today.” His frustration traces back to August 2012, when Brian Zimmerman, a 41-year-old NASCAR fan, was struck and killed by lightning at Pocono Raceway shortly after a rain-shortened race. 10 others were injured in the same incident and although the track had posted warnings urging fans to seek shelter, the tragedy sparked lawsuits and scrutiny that still influence NASCAR policy today.

While a jury ultimately found Pocono Raceway negligent but not directly responsible for Zimmerman’s death, the fallout was severe. Insurance carriers began requiring strict lightning-related stops for coverage, leaving NASCAR with little room to maneuver. Keselowski went on to explain, “So now to get insurance coverage needed to race, we can’t go race, even when it’s not raining, if lightning is a few miles away.some judges don’t believe that, and it ruins other’s fun. Their [sic] is a lesson in there somewhere.”

Daytona Friday stoppage meant RFK racing, home to Brad and teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, missed their chance to improve their grid position. Instead, the lineup for Saturday night’s high-stakes race was set by NASCAR’s performance metric, putting Ryan Blaney on pole with Alex Bowman alongside.

For Brad, the decision was another reminder that while lightning safety may be non-negotiable for NASCAR and insurers, it’s also leaving drivers, teams, and fans feeling like they are stuck in a holding pattern under clear skies.