Keselowski juggles effort to win while developing his race team

FORT WORTH, TEXAS — Brad Keselowski was the runner-up in the NASCAR AllStar race at Texas last year and has led more laps on the 1½-mile track than anyone who has never won here.

Keselowski is in a much different position going into tonight’s All-Star race, the nonpoints exhibition dropped right in the middle of the 26 races before NASCAR’s playoff chase.

Now with an ownership stake in his Cup Series team, RFK Racing, along with Jack Roush, it has been a challenging first season in that role for the 2012 Cup champion who also was the series runner-up just two years ago.

“Oh, it’s been eventful. A lot going on,” Keselowski said with a chuckle. “We have the challenge in front of us to go win races while we’re growing as a team and changing as a team.”

Keselowski is still one of 20 drivers locked into the 24-car All-Star field, which includes former Cup champions and race winners since the start of 2021. He fits both of those categories despite being without a win this year and 31st in the current standings. That’s 12 spots lower than his No. 6 RFK Racing entry would be without the 100-point penalty from NASCAR after the Atlanta race for illegally modifying a supplied part on the new Next Gen car.

Reigning series champion Kyle Larson has won his last two All-Star starts, last year in his debut season with Hendrick Motorsports after taking the checkered flag at Charlotte in 2019 while still with Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson missed the 2020 All-Star race while suspended by NASCAR for using a racial slur during a livestream race.

Larson last June held off a hard-charging Keselowski during a final 10-lap shootout in the All-Star race after a slick three-wide pass for the lead. It was Keselowski’s third runner-up All-Star finish. Larson later won the fall playoff race at Texas.

While there are no points on the line tonight, there is $1 million for the winner. A strong performance could be a big boost for a driver like Keselowski, who goes into the second half of the regular season needing to win one of the 13 races to extend his playoff streak to nine appearances in a row.

Asked what would be a success this season, Keselowski responded simply, “Winning a Cup race.”

Keselowski won one of the two 150-mile qualifying races before the Daytona 500, and teammate Chris Buescher won the other. A ninth-place finish in that season-opening points race is the only top 10 this season for Keselowski, who has led 654 laps in his 26 Texas races.

“There’s been weeks where we feel like we’re closer,“he said. “And weeks where I feel like we were a mile away, and some things in between.”

The All-Star race has four stages for a total of 125 laps. The first three segments will be 25 laps, with the winner of each starting up front for the final 50-lap run to $1 million. There will also be a pit stop competition before that fourth stage, with the winning team also then starting on the front two rows.

COLIN E. BRALEY/AP As a team owner, Brad Keselowski (6) has to take in a lot of changes happening around him while he’s still in the literal driver’s seat on race day. What would be a success for his team? “Winning a Cup race,” he said.