Brad Keselowski, a veteran NASCAR driver and team co-owner, has openly acknowledged the disappointing performance of RFK Racing in the ongoing 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, emphasizing the urgent need to turn things around. As challenges mount for the organization, the Brad Keselowski 2025 NASCAR season has been defined by both his on-track efforts and his leadership off the circuit, while the team’s search for victory remains ongoing.
RFK Racing’s Current Position and Challenges in 2025
RFK Racing entered the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series fielding three full-time competitors: Brad Keselowski piloting car #6, Chris Buescher in #17, and Ryan Preece behind the wheel of the #60 entry. The team saw changes this year, most notably Ryan Preece’s arrival after the closure of Stewart-Haas Racing, along with Kroger stepping in as the primary sponsor for Preece’s Ford. These changes fueled expectations, but with 31 races complete, the team hasn’t delivered the victories they had hoped for.
Chris Buescher has established himself as the most successful driver among the RFK lineup this season. Despite not securing a win, Buescher has accumulated four top-five finishes and fifteen top-10s, maintaining a strong average finishing position of 13.84. He has demonstrated consistent speed, having led 38 laps and suffering only a single DNF. His performance has highlighted his reliability, contrasting with the broader struggles of the team.
Brad Keselowski, serving as both a driver and team co-owner, has found the season particularly challenging. Although he has notched the most top-five results for RFK at five, his average finish stands at 19th, below those of both Buescher and Preece. Keselowski’s dual responsibilities have kept him engaged both at the track and with the organization’s strategic operations, yet the results have not met expectations.
Reflecting on these consistent but winless performances, Keselowski spoke candidly with NASCAR journalist Bob Pockrass:
“Yeah, I mean, we’re consistent. We’re just consistently not where we want to be. We said, you know, if we had wins with any of our cars, it’d be a great season. I think, uh, you know, in, in full season points, if you, I know that’s not the format, but if it was, you know, we’d have cars in the top 10 and I think 15th and 16th. So, you know, to put all three cars, uh, in those numbers, I think that’s as good or better than any other organization. Uh, but we don’t have the wins, so we have to find ways to win.” – Brad Keselowski, Team Co-Owner/Driver
Even as a team leader, Keselowski acknowledges that simply matching rival organizations’ consistency is not enough if victories remain elusive. The 2025 campaign has marked a rare chapter for Keselowski, who is accustomed to playoff contention but failed to qualify this season. He trails his teammates in points for the second consecutive year and remains winless, despite several notable finishes.
Playoff Format Frustrations for Keselowski
The playoff elimination format in NASCAR has come under fire from several drivers, and Brad Keselowski added his voice to the debate after a series of near-misses in recent races. Speaking as a guest on the Stacking Pennies podcast, he offered his frank assessment of how the current system contrasts with the championship’s origins.
“I’ve had like eight second-place finishes in the last two and a half years. And that, you know, you got to make your seconds, wins in the sport. It’s all the format until you get to the playoffs is about winning.” [36:17 onwards] – Brad Keselowski, Team Co-Owner/Driver
“It’s strange to me that it’s all about winning until you get to the playoffs. And it’s not at all about winning once you do get in the playoffs. It’s about consistency….It’s completely inversed of what I think it was represented to be at least on the onset of where winning matters more in the regular season, less in the postseason,” Brad Keselowski added. – Brad Keselowski, Team Co-Owner/Driver
Keselowski’s remarks point to a core contradiction: while the regular season heavily incentivizes race wins, the playoff rounds increasingly prioritize steady, points-based performances. After multiple second-place finishes without a win, he remains acutely aware of how this impacts both his and RFK Racing’s path to championship contention. These comments echo those of other drivers and team contributors, underscoring broader unease regarding the direction and spirit of NASCAR’s championship structure.
This frustration is echoed across NASCAR’s audience and competitive community, fueling ongoing discussions about whether the championship format best serves the drivers and the sport’s fan base. Keselowski, as both a driver and influencer within the sport, leverages both his and team’s experiences to push for changes that could potentially shift the focus back to winning rather than strategic point accumulation.
Financial Concerns for the Future of the Sport
Brad Keselowski has not limited his criticism to on-track concerns. He has drawn attention to what he perceives as a vulnerability in NASCAR’s business model, highlighting a heavy dependence on broadcast revenue streams. The driver and team co-owner argues that revenue generated directly from race tracks is not sufficient, creating uncertainty around long-term stability.
His concern underscores a larger debate among team leaders and racing organizations about funding, profit-sharing, and the long-term growth of the sport. While RFK Racing and others continue working with sponsors like Kroger and Ford to secure vital financial support, the ability of tracks and individual organizations to generate their own revenue remains a challenge—one that many believe should be addressed to ensure sustainability.
As discussions persist, other entities and driving forces within the group and broader NASCAR organization are watching developments closely. The future of the racetrack and its connection with both local and wider audiences will likely depend on finding solutions that address these financial vulnerabilities. Keselowski, with his dual role as team leader and competitor, stands at the intersection of these critical conversations.
RFK Racing’s Path Forward and Implications for the 2025 Season
As the 2025 NASCAR season stretches towards its conclusion, Brad Keselowski and RFK Racing face a crucial period. The demands of winning are clear, and the lack of race victories looms over the organization, despite respectable points finishes and improved consistency from drivers like Chris Buescher. Meanwhile, newcomers such as Ryan Preece, coming over from Stewart-Haas Racing, embody both the hope and uncertainty that come with rebuilding efforts.
For Keselowski, balancing the internal drive for improvement with his public advocacy for broader changes in NASCAR remains central. The ongoing interplay between winless consistency and the shifting playoff format is at the heart of his 2025 storyline. As a prominent driver who has historically thrived in high-stakes, playoff environments, his failure to reach the postseason is significant both for his own career trajectory and for the team’s reputation among peers and sponsors.
The scrutiny of NASCAR’s competitive and financial foundations continues, with Keselowski’s passionate and energetic criticism pointing to a future in which questions about the sport’s growth, audience engagement, and core values will have to be answered. For now, both fans and competitors await whether RFK Racing can translate their efforts into long-awaited wins before the season’s close, or if wider changes to NASCAR’s structure will give teams like theirs a renewed chance at glory in future years.
RFK drivers are 17-18-19 in the driver standings — the top three that are not in the playoffs. What Brad Keselowski says that means: pic.twitter.com/gDI8TPTtPR
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 5, 2025
