With the drop of the inexperienced flag Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, Brad Keselowski eclipsed 600 profession NASCAR Cup Sequence begins, turning into simply the thirty fifth driver to succeed in that historic threshold.
“I simply needed to have a profession and was making an attempt to show myself,” Keselowski mentioned in a staff launch. “To suppose that I’ve had one other 599 since then is fairly cool. I simply need to sit down with a 24-year-old me and inform him that was going to occur.
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“Once I first bought in a Cup [car], I simply needed to be right here. I didn’t take into consideration something exterior of that,” he added. “I didn’t consider the stats. I didn’t take into consideration the accolades. I simply needed to be right here, and I’m fortunate to be right here.”
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From Rochester Hills, Michigan, Keselowski made his first NASCAR begin in 2004, driving for his father, Bob, within the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence. He debuted within the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence in 2006 earlier than making his Cup Sequence debut for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008. A 12 months later, driving a part-time Cup schedule for a number of groups, Keselowski gained his first premier-series race at Talladega Superspeedway, coming in a James Finch-owned Chevrolet.
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His Cup Sequence profession formally took off in 2010, when he moved to Workforce Penske’s No. 12 Dodge entry for the complete marketing campaign. Whereas he went winless and missed The Chase, he put collectively a stellar O’Reilly Sequence season within the staff’s No. 22 entry, profitable the sequence championship.
In 2011, Keselowski was one of many Cup Sequence’ elite younger drivers. Switching to the No. 2 entry, he gained 3 times and completed fifth in factors. A 12 months later, he reached the game’s pinnacle, incomes his first and solely sequence championship, highlighted by 5 victories and noteworthy consistency by the 10-race Chase.
Keselowski drove for Roger Penske by the 2021 season. He earned 34 victories for the group and banked 9 top-10 finishes in factors, together with a runner-up in 2020.
“I used to be actually blessed to have the chance to drive for Roger Penske, an excellent chapter in my profession,” Keselowski mentioned in a media teleconference earlier this season. “We did quite a lot of actually cool issues collectively. Profitable the championships in each the O’Reilly Auto Elements Sequence and the Cup Sequence was simply highlights of my profession. I look again actually fondly on most of it.”
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Getting into his age-38 season, Keselowski took a leap of religion. He purchased an possession stake in what’s now RFK Racing and switched to the staff’s No. 6 Ford beginning with the 2022 season. Keselowski completed twenty fourth in his debut season, however made the playoffs in a 2023 season highlighted by Chris Buescher’s three victories within the staff’s No. 17 entry. A 12 months later, Keselowski gained at Darlington Raceway for his first victory as each driver and proprietor.
Keselowski bought off to a troublesome begin in 2025 as RFK expanded to a few full-time automobiles with Ryan Preece becoming a member of the fold within the No. 60 Ford. All three drivers missed the playoffs, however Keselowski confirmed indicators of life within the again half of the marketing campaign with a trio of runner-up finishes.
However coming into 2026, Keselowski confronted arguably his best problem but.
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Throughout the offseason, the longer term Corridor of Famer fell and broke his femur throughout a trip together with his household. He was rushed into surgical procedure, and later admitted he wasn’t positive if he’d ever stroll once more. However by constant winter rehab, Keselowski climbed again into his No. 6 Ford simply in time for the Daytona 500, ending fifth.
By six races, he’s completed no worse than twentieth and enters Martinsville ninth in factors after main 142 laps and coming dwelling second at Darlington.
“Driving the race automotive is a blessing and a curse,” Keselowski mentioned. “It’s a blessing as a result of it offers the motivation for me to essentially push my rehab and do issues quicker than regular, which isn’t a foul factor. However it’s a curse as a result of, sure, after I get within the automotive, it does damage, it does pull me backward.”
Whereas Keselowski is considered one of NASCAR’s elder statesmen, he feels the top of his Cup profession is nowhere in sight, with not less than 800 begins in thoughts.
“I believe that’s an excellent purpose,” he mentioned.
