Brad Keselowski’s bid for his first Phoenix win in the NASCAR Cup Series got a little more challenging on Saturday. The driver of the No. 6 will start Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 500 from the rear of the field.
During Saturday’s Cup Series practice session, Keselowski was diving into the third turn when he suffered a right front tire failure. His Consumer Cellular Ford veered up into the outside retaining wall, causing significant damage.
The wreck forced the RFK Racing driver and co-owner to go to a backup car and miss Saturday’s qualifying session. Of the 37-car field, Keselowski will roll off from the 37th starting position on Sunday.
Brad Keselowski on Phoenix practice crash: ‘We’ll bring out the backup’
The damage was too severe for Keselowski to keep his primary car for Sunday’s race.
When speaking to FOX motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass, the 42-year-old detailed what happened in practice from his perspective and made it known that he’s focused on the backup car.
“Just blew a tire entering turn three and destroyed the car. We’ll bring out the backup and be ready for Sunday,” Keselowski said.
Keselowski is still recovering from a broken femur suffered in December 2025 on a ski trip. Although it was not ideal to crash out in practice, Keselowski assured that his leg was fine.
“Obviously, not what you would want to do, but the way we have the car set up, it’s prepared very well for that type of incident,” Keselowski said.
Tire wear was the story of Saturday’s practice as Keselowski wasn’t the only driver to suffer a blowout.
Among those who had tire failures in practice include Tyler Reddick, Riley Herbst, and Keselowski’s teammate, Chris Buescher. The tire problems are nothing new at Phoenix as it was the talk of last year’s Cup Series championship race as well.
As an owner and driver at RFK Racing, Keselowski couldn’t hide the fact that the tire issues have him nervous for Sunday.
“I’d be a fool to not say we’re really concerned after just blowing a tire out. I can tell you we saw my teammate, Chris Buescher, blow a tire out. We went super conservative with everything and still blew out. So, I don’t know,” Keselowski said.
Brad Keselowski continues to nurse December leg injury
Despite the significant injury suffered prior to the start of the 2026 season, Keselowski hasn’t missed a beat. He missed the Cook Out Clash exhibition at Bowman Gray Stadium, but has competed in every points-paying race so far.
When speaking to the media in Phoenix, Keselowski described the hardships of driving the car months after the injury. Yet, Keselowski added he’s come back stronger for every race.
“There are little setbacks that come from driving the car of dehydration or just the workload in general. With a day or two of recovery, I’ve been able to come back even stronger [for] each of the three races we’ve had so far,” Keselowski said.
Keselowski is amid his fifth full-time season as a co-owner and driver of RFK Racing. He’s won one race with the organization, which came at Darlington in May 2024.
Brad Keselowski Forced to Start Last in NASCAR Cup Race at Phoenix