Bristol Night Race: Keselowski Falls Short Despite Strong Performance
In a night marked by frustration, Brad Keselowski finished second at Bristol Motor Speedway, unable to secure a win despite displaying competitive pace and strategy. This result marks Keselowski’s second runner-up finish of the season, highlighting ongoing challenges for the No. 6 team, which has yet to clinch a victory since spring 2024.
“It’s the story of our kind of season. A 50/50 shot on a restart and I got the lane that couldn’t launch,” Keselowski stated. “We had a great car, great strategy… and rolled the dice on that last restart, didn’t get anything good.”
The final restart took place with four laps remaining. Keselowski, who had fresh tires after pitting under caution, lined up sixth. He navigated a tight situation, initially moving up to fourth place before making a decisive maneuver to secure second.
“The [No.] 77 didn’t get a good launch, then the [No.] 38 missed the corner,” he explained. “It was a 50/50 shot and, like everything else, got the wrong one.”
Keselowski led for 33 laps during the event, demonstrating a strong average running position of 8.8—his third top-10 average in 29 races this season. His performance included a controversial last-lap attempt to overtake Christopher Bell; however, his contact with Bell yielded no positional gain.
“I thought I dumped him. I was like, ‘Ugh, that’s harder than I wanted to hit him,’ yet it didn’t even do anything,” Keselowski remarked.
In a noteworthy observation, Keselowski praised the tire strategy and conditions of the race, indicating that variable track temperatures significantly impacted tire performance, leading to entertaining side-by-side racing reminiscent of Bristol’s storied past.
“There was a lot that happened tonight… I thought it was actually a really good race because of the tire wear. The bottom was dominant, with a lot of bump-and-run passes,” he added.
Despite the disappointment, Keselowski’s performance at Bristol reflects potential for future events as the No. 6 team continues to seek its first win of the season.
