Ruthless NASCAR Schedule Forces Brad Keselowski to Speak Up With Bold 3-Words

Fresh off the Chicago Street Race, the Cup Series heads to Sonoma Raceway this Sunday, July 13, for the Toyota/Save Mart 350, marking another twisty challenge in a season that’s packed with them. With six road courses on the calendar: Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Chicago, Circuit of the Americas, the Charlotte Roval, and Mexico City, some fans are loving the technical battles, while others pine for the days when ovals ruled.

Lee Spencer’s Motorsport.com article captured this divide, noting how old-school fans once scoffed at non-oval races but now many can’t get enough of road courses. Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s Chief Racing Development Officer, acknowledged this shift on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, saying, “We’re absolutely aware of that,” but emphasized the logistical challenges of balancing the 36-race schedule. He pointed out that road courses like Sonoma and Watkins Glen are strategically placed to shake up the playoff chase and add drama to key moments.

Spencer’s piece also highlighted the logistical hurdles of adding more road courses, like weather concerns and track infrastructure. Sonoma’s Steve Page prefers the June slot to avoid clashing with football season, while Watkins Glen’s Michael Printup is happy with its August date. Yet, fans keep pushing for more, even suggesting tracks like Indianapolis or Daytona could convert their ovals to road courses as they do for IndyCar and IMSA. O’Donnell noted the ideal weather at Watkins Glen last year, where Goodyear’s rain tires ensured racing could go on, unlike ovals where rain often halts action. But with NASCAR locked into the same 23 venues through 2026, new road courses aren’t likely anytime soon.

The article also praised Watkins Glen’s 2016 success, with packed campgrounds and grandstands despite pit road speeding penalties catching seven drivers off guard due to new timing lines. O’Donnell defended the change, saying it levels the playing field by emphasizing pit crew performance.

Not everyone is buying the road course hype, especially Brad Keselowski. The RFK Racing driver-owner took to X to share Lee Spencer’s article, dropping a bold three-word message that sums up his stance: “NASCAR Isn’t IMSA.” His comments dive straight into the heart of the debate, calling out the schedule’s shift and sparking a firestorm among fans and drivers alike.

What Brad Keselowski said

Keselowski laid it all out on X, re-sharing Spencer’s article with a pointed take: “We went from 2 to 6 Road course races, Possibly 7 next year. NASCAR was successfully built as a primarily oval racing series. IMSA was built as the primary road course series in North America. IMSA will always do road racing better than NASCAR and that’s ok. Yes, TOO Many Road courses in NASCAR.”

His frustration is clear, rooted in NASCAR’s evolution from two road courses, Sonoma and Watkins Glen, to six in 2025, with rumors of a seventh in 2026, possibly Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Back in the early 2000s, ovals dominated, making up over 90 percent of the schedule. But additions like the Charlotte Roval in 2018 and Circuit of the Americas in 2021 have tipped the balance.

Keselowski’s 2023 comment that six road courses is “preposterous” shows this isn’t a new gripe. His career reflects his oval prowess with 36 Cup wins, including the 2012 championship, mostly on ovals. His road course record is winless in 28 starts, with a tough 35th at Watkins Glen in 2021 after multiple spins. His 2016 brake-failure crash at the same track, which left him shaken but unhurt, likely fuels his view that stock cars aren’t built for road courses’ demands.

His next point, “NASCAR was successfully built as a primarily oval racing series,” leans on the sport’s history. From its 1949 founding, NASCAR thrived on ovals like Darlington and Daytona, where high-speed drafting and tight battles defined its appeal. Keselowski’s 2021 suggestion that short tracks should make up 30 to 40 percent of the schedule, with road courses at 10 to 15 percent, shows his ideal balance. He’s not alone. Fans on X often echo this, with one saying, “NASCAR’s unique because of ovals, not road courses.”

Keselowski then contrasts NASCAR with IMSA, stating, “IMSA was built as the primary road course series in North America. IMSA will always do road racing better than NASCAR and that’s ok.” IMSA’s sports cars, designed for tracks like Sebring and Road Atlanta, handle road courses with precision, unlike NASCAR’s heavier stock cars. His 2011 testing crash at Road Atlanta, another brake failure, reinforces his point about stock cars’ limitations.

His final jab, “Yes, TOO Many Road courses in NASCAR,” aligns with traditionalists who feel six or seven road courses dilute the sport’s core, especially when IMSA already owns that space.

Underdog Ty Dillon throws shade at Brad Keselowski

While Keselowski’s grumbling about road courses, Ty Dillon is stealing the spotlight in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge, and he’s not afraid to poke at the former champ. In Round Two at the Chicago Street Course, the 17th-seeded Keselowski faced off against underdog Dillon, who’s never won in over 250 Cup starts. Against the odds, Dillon’s 20th-place finish knocked out Keselowski, who crashed early after a Carson Hocevar-triggered incident and limped to 37th. It was Dillon’s second straight upset, following a similar win over another top driver at Atlanta.

“We survived and advanced. This No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team is just a tough team. We never quit. We don’t even know how to. I’m just so proud of Kaulig Racing and our No. 10 team.” Dillon beamed in his TV interview.

Then came the zinger. “I knew in a basketball city (Chicago), going up against Brad in a game of knockout, I was going to have a good chance,” Dillon said with a grin. The jab, playing off Chicago’s basketball vibe and the In-Season Challenge’s bracket format, was a playful dig at Keselowski’s road course struggles.

Dillon’s no stranger to underdog moments. His career-best sixth at Talladega in 2019 showed his knack for seizing opportunities. Now, with just eight drivers left in the one million dollar prize chase, Dillon faces Alex Bowman at Sonoma this Sunday.

“We’re just going to keep working hard, put pressure on who we’re facing next and see if we can keep it rolling,” he added. With his bracket-busting momentum, Dillon’s proving he’s not just here to race. He’s here to shake things up, even if it means throwing a little shade at a heavyweight like Keselowski.