NASCAR Broadcaster Publicly Defends Kyle Busch & Brad Keselowski as Fans Mount “Washed” Claim

In 2025, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski, once dominant Cup veterans, find themselves conspicuously winless so far. They are struggling to silence whispers from fans calling them “washed.” For Busch, the once-unyielding streak of at least one Cup victory per season came to a crashing halt in 2024, marking the first winless campaign of his full-time career. As the new year began, he plunged deeper into a drought that stretched to 76 races without a win, hovering below the playoff cutoff and sparking mounting doubt among fans. Meanwhile, Keselowski fared no better, boasting just one win since 2020 (Darlington, 2024) and sinking to a career-worst 32nd place in standings by mid-season 2025, with only a single top-10 finish to his name.

To many fans, those numbers tell a harsh story: two former champions whose best days are maybe behind them, now carrying the “washed” label. Yet, not everyone is ready to write them off so quickly, as they have found support in driver and broadcaster Parker Kligerman.

Why Busch and Keselowski aren’t fading yet

On the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, CW’s Parker Kligerman addressed the growing chatter around Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch being “washed” after neither has managed a win in 2025. “Man, I hope not,” he said. “Kyle’s still ridiculously young, right? I think Brad’s right there with him. I wouldn’t say age, late 30s to me is still a young race car driver.” It’s a pushback against the growing chorus labeling the two former champions as “washed” after a string of disappointing seasons.

Busch is missing the playoffs for the second straight year in 2025, and Keselowski’s RFK Racing is still without a postseason berth since his arrival. For Kligerman, the idea that late-30s drivers are past their prime misses the point. “Your best Cup drivers are in their 30s, right? Lifestyle, mental experience, talent, skill, everything aligns in your 30s. So I think it’s actually the premier time for a race car driver.”

Kligerman, who just earned his own statement win at Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Daytona on 23rd August, pointed to Busch’s career as proof that raw ability never fades. “I drove for him, I watched him, I raced against him, and there’s things I’ve watched him do in a race car and I shook my head and said, how the hell did he just do that?” Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion with 63 wins, has endured a drought not for lack of talent but because of circumstance, Kligerman argued. Since moving from powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing to Richard Childress Racing, Busch has been tasked with elevating a team that hasn’t consistently competed at the top level in years. “It’s just trying to give him those moments more often and the chance to do it more often,” Kligerman explained. “If they do figure it out, I think you can see Kyle Busch become the Kyle Busch of old and win multiple races in a season.”

Keselowski, meanwhile, faces a different kind of uphill battle. The 2012 Cup champion hasn’t won since 2021, and his RFK Racing program remains a work in progress, but Kligerman sees the long game. “He’s running a team. He’s got business endeavors. He’s, you know, a very intelligent individual who thinks about this stuff very deeply. But at the end of the day, he’s also a really good racer and driver, and I think he still has a long runway.” For Keselowski, the challenge isn’t just performance behind the wheel, but the responsibility of reshaping an entire organization. If he succeeds, Kligerman believes the payoff could rival anything Keselowski achieved at Penske, including his championship run.

The defense carries extra weight because Kligerman has lived it from the inside. He drove for Keselowski when Brad first launched his Truck Series team, and later for Busch in the final year of Kyle Busch Motorsports’ Xfinity program. Watching the two spar publicly in their younger days, Kligerman remembers being struck by how much they actually resembled each other. “What’s so surprising to me is they’re basically the same person,” he recalled. Both are fiery competitors, both are now tasked with elevating teams, and both are judged harshly because of their high standards.

“The sport is better when Kyle Busch is better,” says another

Kyle Busch’s 2025 season has been a stark contrast to the dominance he displayed in previous years, with a winless streak extending to 83 races and an absence from the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The regular-season finale at Daytona epitomized the struggles Busch and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) have faced, as a multi-car pile-up on Lap 27 ended any realistic chance for the veteran driver to contend. Busch expressed his frustration bluntly: “A successful season for me is obviously making the playoffs and making it into the round of eight. So not getting to those levels last year and right now, not this year, you know, that’s definitely frustrating.” The crash not only derailed his hopes but also served as a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in NASCAR, especially for a driver trying to reclaim his former supremacy.

Despite the setbacks, analysts emphasize that Busch’s presence remains vital for the sport and for RCR. On The Teardown podcast, Jordan Bianchi asserted, “The sport is better when Kyle Busch is better, especially driving for RCR. Like, if Kyle Busch was winning races and contending, he makes RCR more relevant… it’s good for the sport all around.” Even as teammates like Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman capitalize on opportunities to make the playoffs, Busch maintains focus and composure, determined to approach each weekend with a winning mindset. “No, I’m not stressed out over it. We go into each weekend with the mindset to try to go out there and win… We need to,” he stated, underscoring the poise that has defined his career.

For NASCAR fans and the sport itself, the narrative remains clear: Busch’s resurgence could redefine both his legacy and the competitive landscape for years to come. For Kligerman, both Busch and Keselowski are similar racers riding in the same boat, not to be ignored.