So close, yet so far. That’s how Brad Keselowski will be feeling after the checkered flag was waved at Iowa Speedway. The RFK Racing co-owner/driver swept both stages, led an impressive 63 laps, and even secured the fastest lap bonus at the short track. Best positioned to secure his first win since Darlington in 2024, the veteran was hoping the race would run green the rest of the way or have minimal interruptions. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

The Iowa Corn 350 was plagued by cautions, 12 of them, in fact. And while that played a big role in Keselowski missing out on Victory Lane, former champ Kevin Harvick said the No. 6 crew also struggled in another area on the track, which ultimately proved to be the difference maker.

Kevin Harvick opens up about Keselowski’s underlying struggles

Lady luck was not on Brad Keselowski’s side at Iowa Speedway. For a race that started with no cautions for incidents through 168 laps took a dramatic turn during the middle stages with one yellow flag after another. While others began resorting to fuel-saving strategies, what looked like the No. 6 Ford’s day began slipping away as the laps ticked on. Dejected after losing track position, the Michigan-native told his crew chief on the team radio during a caution at Lap 255, “Jeremy, don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t want to see you again.”

However, Kevin Harvick feels that cautions weren’t the only reason for Keselowski’s third-place finish at Iowa Speedway. Sharing his thoughts on the Happy Hour podcast, the co-host said, “When I looked at all the sheets this morning, his pit crews down the list, and I think every time they came to pit road, they lost spots. And some of that was due to the, one was because of the position of the pit stall. The rest of them were not. I think that’s the piece that’s missing when you’re not racing up there with those guys on a weekly basis to understand I’m a little bit off on my pit crew. The speed of my pit crew.”

After a disappointing start to the season, Brad Keselowski seems to have finally found his stride during the business end of the regular season. With just a handful of races before the playoffs begin, the 41-year-old has consecutive top-five finishes at both Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Iowa, even though Victory Lane continues to remain just out of reach. And Harvick believes that until the pit issues are sorted, the problems will continue. “You’re not going to win these races even if you have the fastest car if you can’t maintain your track position on pit road,” he said.

However, the veteran isn’t frustrated with the No. 6 crew for how the race progressed, but the circumstances that didn’t work out in his favor. Responding to a question by NBC Sports, Brad Keselowski said, “It’s frustrating not to win, but I’m not frustrated at my team. I’m frustrated that we didn’t catch the breaks we needed.” With three races remaining before the playoffs begin, time is running out for the 41-year-old to turn his fortunes around. But with momentum on his side, all it might need is a lucky break to get back to winning ways.

Brad Keselowski opens up about change in driver behavior

Brad Keselowski is no stranger to controversy. Early on in his career, the racer was known for his aggressive driving style and the willingness to wreak havoc on the racetrack. Now, as team owner and one of the senior drivers on the grid, the veteran has a different perspective, and recently claimed that what he saw at Iowa Speedway was the “single biggest change I’ve seen in cup series drivers over last 10 years.”

Writing on X, the Michigan-native claimed racers had “Complete willingness to semi-intentionally wreck each other running 15th or worse. I see it almost every week, and none worse than this week in Iowa. Not sure what to make of it.” His comments came after a race that saw Carson Hocevar wreck Zane Smith, while Kyle Larson also aired out his frustrations at Iowa Speedway after contact relegated him from fifth to twelfth at the short track.

Believing that there were more severe repercussions for such incidents in the good ol’ days, Brad Keselowski went on to say, “They would surely fire you for one of two reasons- Wrecking & Not running well. If you did both as a driver, no chance of making it. This made all the drivers not want to wreck when they weren’t running well.” However, times have changed, and perhaps the limitations of the Next-Gen cars, particularly on short tracks and it’s inability to make passes, have led to more ‘unintentional’ wrecks. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments!