NASCAR Honors 2012 Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski

Getty Brad Keselowski is one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.

The man who delivered the first NASCAR Cup Series championship in Team Penske history has now added another accolade to his resume. Brad Keselowski has been added to the list of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

Keselowski’s daughters were the ones that delivered the news on Tuesday, May 2. They surprised him on an episode of “NASCAR Race Hub” and hand-delivered the welcome package from NASCAR. Shannon Spake and Jamie McMurray then confirmed that Keselowski is now on the prestigious list.

The Michigan native still has years left in his career, but he has achieved a considerable amount in the sport. He has 75 wins across the three national series, and he has multiple championships to his name. He won the 2010 Xfinity Series title and then won the Cup Series title in 2012.


Keselowski Has Captured Numerous Prestigious Wins

Brad Keselowski

GettyBrad Keselowski celebrates a pole win at Texas Motor Speedway.

Keselowski has put himself in contention for dozens of wins throughout his NASCAR career, particularly in the Cup Series. He has also finished top five in points five different times.

Keselowski still remains in pursuit of the Daytona 500 win, but he has delivered many other standout wins. This list includes six trips to Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway, which puts him in a tie for the second-most all-time.

Crown Jewels? Keselowski has some in his collection. His first was the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in 2018. One week later, he added another by capturing the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Keselowski’s third Crown Jewel is the longest race on the Cup Series schedule. He won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2020, which punched his ticket to the playoffs.


Keselowski’s Career Has Continued With a Major Move

GettyBrad Keselowski (bottom) races at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Keselowski made his Cup Series debut with Hendrick Motorsports, and he won his first career race with Phoenix Racing. He then went on to spend 12 full-time seasons with Team Penske.

The 2012 Cup Series champion has since joined forces with another Ford team. Prior to the 2022 season, he became a driver and co-owner at Roush Fenway Racing. The team changed to RFK Racing as he took over the No. 6 Ford Mustang.

Keselowski’s first season with RFK Racing had some standout moments. He won the pole at Texas Motor Speedway, and he showed speed at Homestead-Miami Speedway before finishing fifth.

This inaugural season also had some setbacks. The No. 6 team received an L2-Level penalty after the spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which took away 100 driver points and 100 owner points. NASCAR also disqualified Keselowski after the fall race at Martinsville Speedway after the No. 6 failed post-race inspection.

The 2023 season has gone more smoothly for Keselowski and the No. 6 team. The veteran driver has five top-10 finishes in 11 races, one shy of his total from 2022. He also has two top-five finishes, which includes a runner-up behind former teammate Joey Logano at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The entire organization has showcased improved speed during the early stages of the 2023 Cup Series season, to the point that both cars finished inside of the top 10 at Dover Motor Speedway.

This marked the first time that the organization placed two cars inside of the top 10 since the 2013 season. Greg Biffle and Carl Edwards did so at Michigan International Speedway and again at Sonoma Raceway.

 

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