Keselowski’s Strategic Missteps Costly at Pocono
Pocono Raceway, PA – Brad Keselowski and the RFK Racing No. 6 team encountered pivotal setbacks during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono, resulting in a disappointing 10th-place finish. Despite running competitively in the top five, two significant pit road errors thwarted their chances for a better outcome.
The first incident occurred during a caution on lap 55, when Keselowski mistakenly entered pit road while it was closed, forcing him to the rear of the field. Reflecting on the mistake, Keselowski noted, "I just thought we made a really bad call, and I was right, but not for the reason I thought I was." He attributed the error partly to poor communication with his crew, stating, “I didn’t check the crew chief and the spotter, and that’s my fault.”
Despite the setback, Keselowski’s team demonstrated resilience. After cycling back to the front, he questioned a late pit call from crew chief Jeremy Bullins. Choosing to delay his stop for clean air, Keselowski ultimately faced an untimely caution on lap 125, preventing him from taking advantage of fresher tires. “If I would have pitted and the yellow came out while we were on pit road, we probably would have cycled inside the top 10 and might have had a shot to win,” he admitted.
With 30 laps remaining, Keselowski restarted outside the top 10 but managed to finish the race in 10th place, having climbed back from as low as 24th earlier in the run. He commented on the potential of his Build Submarines Mustang, noting, “We had a great car… I thought we recovered really, really well from that.”
As the season progresses, Keselowski’s team must address these tactical miscalculations to harness their performance potential in future races.
