Earlier this season, RFK Racing driver-owner Brad Keselowski announced that he would not be returning to the team next season.
Immediately questions began to arise over what it would mean for the team since the K in RFK stood for Keselowski – as in Rousch-Fenway-Keselowski Racing.
According to reports, RFK ownership wanted Keselowski to exit the car and lead the competition division of the team.
Prior to getting the his iconic number six car for practice and qualifying, Keselowski spoke to the media and while fans still do not know where their driver will be next season; some things are a bit clearer.
Saying that he is a “free agent and controls his own destiny”, Keselowski said that ownership has reached an agreement of severance with the team in a deal that was completed less than an hour before he spoke with the media.
Keselowski will maintain his ownership stop as a “passive” owner – he will have no say in the workings of the team.
RFK said via statement, “we thank Brad for his many contributions to RFK Racing and wish him the best of luck with the remainder of his racing career.”
At 42, Keselowski believes that he still has plenty to offer as a driver and wants to spend more time as a driver.
Keselowski had offered to buy out the team but fellow stakeholders Jack Roush and the Fenway Sports Group rejected the idea.
Keselowski noted, “there are a number of opportunities in front of me in the Cup Series for 2027 and beyond. There’s no doubt about that. “ ’ve had a number of outreaches. I’m not going to get into the details of what those are at this time, but I’m eager and willing to execute one of them and to be part of the 2027 season as a manager in NASCAR and a driver. As I said before, I truly believe I have what it takes to do that at the highest level with winning races and contending for championships, both as a driver and a team leader. So, I’m certainly not ready to retire or walk away in any means from this sport.”
Keselowski won the Cup Series championship in 2012.
Now that he has been freed from RFK Racing, Keselowski said there are three things he must do before the new season starts next year in Daytona…
secure a new ride – with or without an ownership option – and a return to the Truck Series is not out of the question
securing business partners and sponsors
and selling his current 20% owner stake in RFK
He added, “I would say that everything is on the table I have not had a meaningful discussion with Dodge or Ram. I’m certainly very open-minded to it, alongside all of the OEMs. I haven’t given up on a relationship with Ford in the future as well, along with the other two OEMs of Chevrolet and Toyota. Everything is on the table right now for me.”
Keselowski showed a packed house at Talladega last week and millions of fans watching on television that he was far from being a washed up driver. Kes gathered his teammates Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher at the front of the field of drivers who were more concerned over a fuel mileage race.
The three RFK drivers hooked up and took off running around the 2.66 mile track and amassed a lead of 40 seconds before a caution flag came out and closed up the field.
Teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece say that Keselowski’s leaving is not a distraction for them.
“Right now, certainly there’s change with that news, but where we’re at, we have been able to get into The Chase and trying to figure out how to drive forward through that,” said Buescher. “The Chase has not been as competitive as we would have liked, and to be honest with you, that has been priority. That has been where we’ve been at, trying to figure out how to make that part of it more successful right now, and let the offseason stuff come around in the offseason, which is extremely close, right? So yeah, I mean, there’s change with it; there always will be, but I think everybody’s been able to stay pretty focused on what’s immediately ahead of us right now.”
Keselowski noted, “first of all, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ryan and Chris. Both of those guys are stand-up guys and phenomenal race car drivers. I feel incredibly fortunate to have those guys as teammates and as a part of RFK’s racing story. They’re going to do well for years to come. Their attitude and work ethic is underappreciated in my opinion by a lot of people, and their success is not a surprise to me. I feel grateful and thankful that I got to work with them and help them realize their potential, but, to be clear, they’ve done the work and they deserve the credit. As far as my future with those two go, as a passive investor by the very definition, there really isn’t one, but I clearly will always be rooting and cheering for their success.”