It doesn’t always happen that Dale Earnhardt Jr. calls out a rather risky maneuver. But Ricky Stenhouse Jr. might have been a little bit too unconventional when he made the pass on Brad Keselowski at Bristol earlier last weekend. While most drivers try to minimize contact with other cars, Stenhouse Jr’s onboard made it seem like he was quite comfortable in spinning the #6 out and then gaining position.

Dale Jr.’s narrative on the Stenhouse – Keselowski incident

“I guess cuz, he said, tell TJ’s an a****** No? What did he say?” It was only natural for Dale Jr. to assume Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would have been rather mad at Brad Keselowski’s spotter, TJ Majors, for not informing him that the #47 car was on the inside.

At least that is what it seemed from the outside. Stenhouse Jr. was attempting an overtake from the inside, and Keselowski didn’t leave him enough space. Some also pulled out the narrative that the #47 might have gone a little too loose as he kept pushing the #6 until the car spun. But he was quick to admit that this did not happen on social media: “No, I didn’t get loose,” he wrote on X.

TJ Majors also came out to explain his perspective on the entire incident, as he witnessed what happened better than most of those who made the strong claims.

“Well, eventually he got a big run out of four, and I’ve watched it, counted it down off the top side like you always do,” explained Majors. “We get to the start finish sign, and he’s like ehh, kind of start- like it was a late dive, but I don’t mean I don’t blame him. I mean, he gets into Brad a little bit, Brad kind of closes the door, and we go up the racetrack. But he just continues to go up the racetrack and doesn’t stop until he spins us out.”

Majors also claimed that he had informed Keselowski of the car approaching on the inside. But there didn’t seem to be much either of them could have done about it. Like Dale Jr. would earlier say, ‘It’s Bristol, baby!’ That’s just how short track racing sometimes goes. This incident triggered the first of the many cautions that were thrown out through the 500 laps.

Brad Keselowski went on to finish the race in 14 place, pulling off one of his better performances this season, while Stenhouse finished 20th in Bristol. The former had a major injury right before the season kicked off, but he seems to be managing it well. His future with RFK Racing in the driver/co-owner capacity looks safe, but a recent statement that he made raises questions regarding the same.

Brad Keselowski’s huge statement regarding his future with RFK

Keselowski ended his Team Penske association and joined RFK Racing as a co-owner in the 2022 season. So far, while he has not been battling for championships or has been dominant in any particular format, Keselowski has managed to pull off a few impressive performances, including a race win.

But as it seems so far this season, he has had some good performances this season. Currently, Keselowski is one of the best drivers as he is only one place behind Chris Buescher, who is in 10th place. Now, while it is quite apparent that the team is not competitive enough right now, what if they were to develop and sign a new driver? Well, Keselowski’s recent statement reveals his shocking plan.

“I would tell you that I have no interest in holding back RFK, ” he said in an official interview with Essentially Sports. “If there was some amazing opportunity for them, and I was the clear barrier to it, then, you know, I would think that of respect to the company and its people, I would do whatever’s best.”

This is certainly an interesting response, but it goes to show the vision that Keselowski is developing in the direction of a team owner rather than just a driver. There are quite a few promising drivers who are in the pipeline to make it to NASCAR sometime in the future, and it is good to see that a veteran like Keselowski is ready to give up his seat for such a prospect. As of now, however, it will be him ruling the track in the #6 Ford.