Seizing a victory and coming close to a victory is as different as chalk and cheese. Moreover, no one knows the difference between the two like Brad Keselowski. The former Cup Series champion who has been at the pinnacle of success in the past seems to have fallen from his horse as he struggles to park his car in the victory lane, since his last victory in 2021. 

Although Brad Keselowski has been nonchalant about prioritizing victory, there is no denying that he still has the prowess to deliver a clinical performance, given his number of top-5 finishes. Nevertheless, it is apparent that the driver has to step on his throttle harder or it might prove detrimental to his team RFK Racing.

Is Brad Keselowski’s winless streak putting his team in a pickle?

Brad Keselowski deserves all the plaudits but perhaps only as a team owner. Since taking up the role of a co-owner and taking up the reins of a rebranded RFK Racing, Keselowski has transformed the team and made it a championship-contending force. However, his success has been limited to his team and failed to resonate with his own personal racing records. Keselowski has been close to taking the chequered, but it is the absence of “raw speed” that is adding to his misery. 

The driver since his last victory at the spring Talladega race in 2021 as a Team Penske driver is yet to find his way back to the victory lane as a driver. The former Cup Series winner, after NASCAR’s first road course outing in COTA this year, has stretched his winless streak to 104 races. However, there is not a speck of suspicion that the driver seems to be struggling behind the wheel, and his number of top-5 finishes is a testament to that. Since his last victory at Talladega, Brad Keselowski tops the list as the driver who has notched the maximum number of top-5 finishes.

The #6 Ford Mustang driver has recorded sixteen top-5 finishes since his last victory and following him is Hendrick Motorsports prodigy, Alex Bowman. While Keselowski tops the list, his teammate Chris Buescher sits at the bottom after his victory in the regular-season finale race at Daytona with only four top-five finishes. Nevertheless, there seems to be room for improvement and on an urgent basis. Although the driver has been unfazed by the increasing number of winless runs, the importance of earning a win is paramount in sealing the fate of the team owner in the garage area. 

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However, no matter how far the driver is from victory lane, his raw antics on the track continue grabbing headlines. One of the most recent examples of this came through Bubba Wallace during COTA, when an unfortunate contact from Keselowski took away the 23XI racer’s chance at a high finish. While Wallace seemed to have let the incident go already, it seems his spotter, Freddie Kraft, is still angry.

#6 Ford Mustang’s crafty move leaves Bubba Wallace’s spotter displeased

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While Brad Keselowski is still in the hunt for a victory, he has not lost his aggression as a driver. This was apparent during Sunday’s race at COTA, where the co-owner of RFK Racing made contact with Bubba Wallace, which eventually sent him reeling on the track and fuming at the same time.

Although there was no exchange of words occurring between the two drivers, their individual spotters did not go easy while deliberating on the topic. During their conversation on Door Bumper Clear, Kraft stated, “Turns out you gotta slow down for that turn at that tight corner.” 

Retorting to the statement, Keselowski’s spotter TJ Majors expressed, “Apparently yeah, you slowed down too much. Don’t do that. You were 15 miles slower than your normal speed at that point, you’re gonna get hit.” Nevertheless, both the spotters agreed that the contact was not an intentional one, as Kraft added, “I mean, Brad did not do it intentionally. I think Brad was racing the 42 and then just had him locked up and got into our left.”

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Having said that, it will be interesting to look out for the performance of Brad Keselowski and his team on the track of Richmond, where his teammate had earned success. With eager eyes, whether the team can maintain their stronghold on the track in the upcoming race is yet to be seen.