NASCAR set to rev up season
Keselowski hopes to collect title a year after promise
Daytona Beach, Fla. Brad Keselowski knew his father was losing his battle with cancer when he promised him he’d win last year’s Daytona 500.
His effort ended in a fireball when Keselowski was involved in a last-lap crash while racing for the victory.
“I knew he was pretty sick and his prognosis was he wasn’t going to make it through the summer. I said, ‘Dad, we’re going to win the Daytona 500,’ ” Keselowski said. “It’s bittersweet that it didn’t happen while he was still alive.”
Bob Keselowski died in December, and his son is back at Daytona International Speedway still trying to fulfill his promise. Keselowski will try to snap an 0-for-12 streak in NASCAR’s season-opening race with his new team.
He left Team Penske a month before his father died to join the ownership group of Jack Roush’s organization. The rebranded RFK Racing team swept both Daytona 500 qualifying races to put Keselowski next to teammate Chris Buescher in the second row for Sunday’s start. The wins
Thursday night were the first in any race since 2017 for a Roush organization in need of Keselowski’s engagement to return to the ranks of NASCAR’s elite.
And, after a Hendrick Motorsports rout in Daytona 500 time trials, the Ford fleet has shown to be race ready. Ford drivers swept the first four spots in Thursday night’s first qualifying race, then swept the top three in the second race.
“I’m excited internally for us, what we believe we have, the capability we
have and the opportunity ahead of us for the rest of the weekend and the rest of the year,” Buescher said after Keselowski visited him in Daytona’s victory lane.
The Ford camp absolutely has its strategy figured out for Sunday, when all its drivers are expected to work together to ensure a blue oval makes it to victory lane. That’s proven to be the most effective approach among the manufacturers, but it’s more important than ever this year as Sunday marks the official debut of NASCAR’s new Next Gen car.
The car is designed to cut costs, help the smaller teams compete with NASCAR’s powerhouse organizations, improve the on-track product and give the manufacturers more brand identity.