Unlike his RFK Racing teammates, Brad Keselowski will not compete for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship. For the second year in a row, the driver of the No. 6 failed to make the Chase.
While he has an opportunity to win a championship as an owner with Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, Keselowski will be forced to be looking from the outside of the Chase cutoff.
Despite that, the 2012 Cup Series champion feels driven to finish off the 2026 campaign strong.
Brad Keselowski remains optimistic after missing the Chase
Through the early portion of the 2026 Cup Series season, it looked as though Keselowski would easily make the Chase. The 42-year-old hung around the 9th to 12th mark of the points standings through the first quarter of the season.
Then came a mid-season slump that saw the Michigan native fall below the Chase cut line. Ultimately, Keselowski was unable to recover and finished 18th in the regular season standings.
While he cannot win a second Cup Series title in 2026, there is still a lot for Keselowski to race for. On social media Monday, the 36-time Cup Series winner made it clear this is not the position he wanted to be in.
Yet, with 10 races left, Keselowski still has opportunities to drive his co-owned RFK Racing Ford into victory lane.
“Not where we wanted to be with 10 races to go, but there’s still a lot left to race for. 10 more chances to get the No. 6 back to Victory Lane. Appreciate everyone who has stuck with us through the highs and lows. We’re going to keep fighting and finish this season strong,” Keselowski said.
After 26 races, Keselowski has posted two top fives and six top 10s. His best run of the season was second at Darlington in March. Keselowski’s latest Cup Series came at Darlington back in May 2024, his first and only win for RFK Racing.
Keselowski on getting two RFK cars in the Chase
Regarding the Chase, Keselowski still has a lot to look forward to as an owner.
Chris Buescher secured a spot in the Chase after finishing the regular season 10th in the points standings. Ryan Preece pulled off a clutch win in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 to overcome a 31-point deficit over Shane van Gisbergen to grab the final Chase spot.
It is the first time since 2023 that RFK Racing will have two drivers in the Chase.
When speaking at the post-race press conference in Daytona, Keselowski said RFK Racing, who he co-owns with champion owner Jack Roush, strives to be one of the best teams in the sport.
In order to do that, Keselowski said it is necessary to have multiple cars compete for championships. Fortunately for them, they were able to have two cars make the cut.
“To put two cars in that position is a big mark for us. We want to be a tier one team and tier one teams put their cars in the playoffs. There’s no way around that. … Winning races, putting your cars in the Chase, that’s what it takes to get there and we did that,” Keselowski said.
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