Getty Brad Keselowski played a surprising role in the past four Xfinity championships.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series season came to an end on November 6 with Daniel Hemric winning his first career race and holding up the championship trophy. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also continued a unique trend featuring Brad Keselowski.
With the title secure, Hemric became the third Brad Keselowski Racing alum to win an Xfinity Series championship. According to Seth Eggert of Kickin’ The Tires, he joined Austin Cindric (2020) and Tyler Reddick (2018, 2019) to achieve this goal. All three drivers spent time with Keselowski’s Truck Series team and combined to win four races.
Hemric made 23 of his 50 Truck Series starts with Brad Keselowski Racing. He ran full-time in the 2016 as a teammate of Reddick. Hemric controlled the No. 19 Ford and posted 17 top-10 finishes and 11 top-fives en route to sixth place in the championship standings.
Interestingly enough, the two drivers to win Xfinity Series championships before the BKR run drove for a different Cup Series champion. William Byron (2017) and Daniel Suarez (2016) both previously drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Truck Series.
Reddick Competed During 3 Seasons for BKR
GettyTyler Reddick spent nearly three seasons with BKR.
The future two-time Xfinity Series champion actually spent nearly three full-time seasons in the Truck Series with BKR. He made one start for Ken Schrader in 2013 before running 16 races in 2014 for Keselowski’s team and posting three top-five finishes with nine top-10s.
Reddick returned to the Truck Series and the No. 19 Ford in 2015, resulting in the first two wins of his career. He captured the season-opening race of the year at Daytona International Speedway and then returned to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway five weeks later. Reddick ended the season second in the standings behind champion Erik Jones.
Reddick spent one more full-time season with BKR and notched his third career Truck Series win after switching to the No. 29 Ford. He captured the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and ended the season ninth in points. Reddick capped off his time with BKR before moving up to the Xfinity Series.
Cindric Replaced Hemric During the 2017 Season
Cindric first made his Truck Series debut in 2015 while Reddick was running full-time for BKR. He started two races, added four more in 2016, and then moved to a full-time schedule in 2017 while replacing Hemric in the No. 19.
The future Xfinity Series champion for Team Penske only won one race during his time with BKR. He captured the checkered flag at Bowmanville on September 3, 2017, after leading 32 of the 64 laps and holding off Noah Gragson. He also posted 16 top-10 finishes and eight top-fives while performing at a very consistent level. Cindric secured his spot in the championship four and ultimately finished third in the standings behind Christopher Bell and Johnny Sauter.
Cindric made the leap from the Truck Series and BKR after his successful 2017 campaign. He headed to the Xfinity Series and kicked off a four-year run with Team Penske that also featured limited starts with Roush. Cindric piled up 13 wins during his tenure with Team Penske and won the 2020 championship. He nearly locked up a second consecutive title on November 6, but Hemric’s late contact moved him out of the way on the final turn.
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