Calls for greater Brad Keselowski NASCAR team cooperation have grown stronger as Chip Bowers, RFK Racing president, warns that teams must unite if they hope to keep the sport competitive and thriving. His appeal comes at a critical time for NASCAR, when internal divisions and the unique organizational structure threaten future growth, as seen at events like the 2025 Go Bowling at The Glen in Watkins Glen, New York.
The Complex Reality Behind NASCAR’s Team Dynamics
Despite NASCAR’s long-standing image as a close-knit community, insiders reveal a more complicated picture when it comes to off-track relationships and decision-making. While teamwork is seamless during races, with synchronized pit crews, drivers, and spotters working in harmony, the spirit of cooperation often unravels once the engines cool down. Organizational differences make it difficult for all parties—drivers, pit staff, team owners, and track operators—to operate under a single unified vision.
The underlying challenge is amplified by NASCAR’s mixed ownership model, which includes the France family, independent teams, and third-party track owners. These groups each have a stake in the sport, yet their varying interests can pull them in different directions. All stakeholders share the goal of expanding NASCAR’s popularity, but divergent strategies sometimes slow collective progress and dilute the power of unity that’s essential for competitive motorsports on a national stage.
Chip Bowers Stresses Urgent Need for Unified Efforts
Chip Bowers, taking the helm as president of RFK Racing, has been vocal about the pressing need for NASCAR teams to strengthen cooperation, both amongst themselves and with league officials. Drawing on extensive experience in sports management, Bowers spoke candidly about the way the ecosystem currently functions. He explained that, in practice, teams possess significant influence, not just as competitors, but as major contributors to league direction and policy.
“The teams own the league in essence,”
Chip Bowers, RFK Racing President. He pointed out that ideas and concerns often arise from within the teams and move up to league headquarters, where decisions affecting media deals, playoffs, and revenue sharing are made. This process ensures that the challenges faced by those closest to the action are heard at the very top, granting teams considerable leverage in shaping the sport’s future.
“There’s both a bubbling up and a trickling down scenario where the teams are actually bubbling up ideas and articulating the challenges that they have, to people at the league headquarters,”
Chip Bowers, RFK Racing President. This system of upward communication was instrumental when team owners raised concerns about the playoff format, leading to potential reforms for the 2026 season. Similar collaborative efforts influence league-wide policies and guide NASCAR’s ongoing negotiations for media rights and other major business decisions.
Bowers’ message emphasized that, despite the existing framework for dialogue, genuine collaboration between individual teams remains insufficient. He argued that independent operating styles among organizations limit the opportunities for shared success and mutual growth.
“The teams are also working somewhat independently. I think that’s where I think there’s tremendous opportunity inside, you know, the NASCAR family to work better across teams, so all the teams will have a better opportunity to share successes,”
Chip Bowers, RFK Racing President. For Bowers, the key lies in embracing collective goals, pooling knowledge, and coordinating strategies to unlock the sport’s true potential.
Influence from Other Sports: Lessons from the Golden State Warriors
As Bowers prepares for his first full NASCAR Cup Series season at RFK Racing in 2026, he brings a wealth of experience from top sports organizations, including substantial time spent with the Golden State Warriors during a pivotal era. In his career, Bowers has thrived in demanding, competitive environments such as the NBA and MLB, learning valuable lessons about building cohesive businesses and resilient teams.
Bowers recalled his time at Golden State, describing how the team faced adversity when expectations were low and star player Steph Curry struggled with injuries.
“When I got to the Warriors, we were coming off a lottery team that Steph [Curry] had had ankle troubles – we weren’t expected to win. And what I learned in that experience is you operate on a parallel path, truly believing on the competition side that they’re going to achieve their objective, and we’ve got to be as a business prepared to take full advantage of that, and we’re going to do that at RFK Racing,”
Chip Bowers, RFK Racing President.
For Bowers, the transformation of the Warriors wasn’t aligned with the championship years alone, but also with the steadfast belief and preparation during more uncertain times. Enduring difficult stretches taught him to maintain high standards and never lose sight of long-term objectives—a perspective he is bringing to his new role in NASCAR. He wants RFK Racing to take the lessons of communication, resilience, and strategic vision learned in a high-pressure NBA franchise and apply them fully to stock-car competition.
RFK Racing’s Push for Consistency and Growth
Brad Keselowski and his RFK Racing team, despite several near-victories in 2025, ended the year without a win. The close calls, such as when Keselowski lost his lead to Ryan Blaney at the Phoenix finale, have heightened the sense of urgency for organizational improvement. In NASCAR, success is measured not just by race-day performance, but by rapid learning from disappointment and adapting as quickly as possible. Bowers’ cross-sport background positions him to lead RFK Racing through this next chapter, helping to turn individual driver promise into team-wide, consistent championship-level results.
Since Keselowski joined RFK Racing in 2021, the organization has made steady gains in competitiveness and brand presence. Now with Bowers on board, RFK Racing looks to harness its collective efforts and the cooperative energy he advocates, making the leap from hopeful contenders to genuine championship threats. The journey ahead requires not only tactical excellence on the track, but also an unwavering commitment to knowledge-sharing and team unity off it.
Why NASCAR’s Future Rests on Team Cohesion
The ongoing transformation at RFK Racing is reflective of larger trends shaping NASCAR’s future. The industry can no longer thrive if individual interests outweigh shared purpose. By advocating for Brad Keselowski NASCAR team cooperation, Bowers insists that the sport’s very identity and long-term health depend on a united approach to challenges and opportunities. His belief is clear: when teams coordinate visions, share wins and setbacks, and trust each other, NASCAR as a whole is far more likely to reach new heights, both in performance and popularity.
As Bowers and other NASCAR leaders look to upcoming seasons, their focus is shifting toward internal solidarity, responsive management, and the strategic integration of ideas and resources across all facets of the sport. The challenge for NASCAR is not just to race harder on Sundays, but to collaborate more effectively every day—ensuring every stakeholder, from star drivers like Brad Keselowski to the spotters, owners, and fans, can participate in a flourishing, dynamic league for years to come.
NEW EPISODE: @RFKracing’s Team President Chip Bowers sits down on this week’s episode of Leaders in Racing to discuss how the heritage of the team defines the future.
Catch the full conversation at 8PM ET tonight on The Racing America 24/7 Channel, available on The Roku… pic.twitter.com/YRyx0mp4D4
— Racing America (@RacingAmerica) November 14, 2025
