DARLINGTON, S.C. — Brad Keselowski had trouble picking the most meaningful part of his first NASCAR win in three years with so many special aspects.
This was his 36th career victory and his second at Darlington Raceway, a track he views as the ultimate challenge for drivers. His young daughters, Scarlett who will turn 9 later this month and 4-year-old Autumn, were also present on the podium.
It was his first win since leaving the Penske team to become co-owner at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing in 2022.
“There’s a lot of things to be excited about, don’t know which one means the most,” Keselowski said with a smile.
He took the lead when leaders Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick collided fighting for first place with nine laps to go and went on to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, marking his first NASCAR win in three years.
“Hell of an effort by everyone,” Keselowski said after crossing the finish line.
It seemed like Keselowski’s employee at RFK, Buescher, would win after overtaking his boss and Reddick with 29 laps remaining. However, Buescher and Reddick then collided and fell back, paving the way for Keselowski’s gratifying victory.
“What a heck of a day,” he said. “That battle out there with my teammate and Tyler Reddick, we just laid it all on the line.”
Keselowski admitted the risk he took when he left Penske. Fans criticized him, he said, when Austin Cindric won the 2022 Daytona 500 because it could have been him, or when Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney won the last two NASCAR Cup Series titles.
But he is extremely pleased with his decision and the direction RFK is heading.
“I think you guys know, I’m going to do things my own way,” Keselowski said.
Ty Gibbs finished second, Josh Berry third, and Denny Hamlin fourth. Chase Briscoe came in fifth, followed by William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Justin Haley, and Michael McDowell.
ANOTHER CLOSE CALL
Buescher expressed his frustration over another narrow miss that cost him a NASCAR victory for the second consecutive week.
Buescher had narrowly missed out on a win by 0.001 of a second at Kansas to Kyle Larson last week, which was the closest ending in NASCAR history. This time, Buescher lost his opportunity in the Goodyear 400 when Reddick attempted to take the lead.
Reddick’s car slid into Buescher, causing both of their chances for a Darlington victory to be ruined.
When both were out of their cars, Buescher angrily confronted Reddick. He shoved him and shouted that he should not have made that move.
“I tried to back out,” Reddick said. “The last thing I wanted to do was wreck your car. I’m sorry.”
Buescher pointed to the NASCAR playoff decal on his car for those, like Reddick, who have qualified for the postseason and said, “That doesn’t work for me. We don’t have that sticker on my door right now. I need you to be better. We’ve raced each other for so long just fine.”
Buescher had expressed how agonizing it was to lose to Kyle Larson at Kansas last week, replaying it and coming up with several things he might have done differently if given another chance. At Darlington, Buescher knew who to blame.
Buescher expressed disappointment about not winning races for two consecutive weeks. He mentioned one race where he regretted not doing things differently and another where he wished the other driver had been more mature.
Reddick continued to apologize in his comments after the race.
He acknowledged that his attempt to pass aggressively led him to try to slow down so that he wouldn't collide with Buescher.
Reddick admitted it was hard for him to accept that he had unfairly obstructed someone else's chance of winning the race by racing cleanly. He acknowledged the need to make better decisions and work on his behavior.
Buescher’s owner at RFK Racing empathized with the frustration of the past two weeks but didn't think he should alter his driving style or behavior.
Keselowski encouraged Buescher to continue being himself and doing what he's been doing.
Buescher fell to 30th place and Reddick to 32nd. Larson, who was in the top 10, spun out with 40 laps to go and couldn't continue.
BAD DAY
An error caused two NASCAR champions to miss their chances. Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., and Byron were three-wide on lap 128, and when Byron made contact with Truex, it sent him into Blaney and against the wall in turn two.
The crew for Blaney, the defending Cup Series champion, couldn't fix the damage, ending his day. He drove up alongside Byron to show his displeasure with Byron's move.
Blaney expressed frustration, stating that Byron used more racetrack than expected, giving him the right to be angry, and felt Byron escaped without consequence. Blaney finished last in 36th place.
Truex, the 2017 series champion, dropped out of the top 10 and finished 25th.
ODDS AND ENDS
Berry's third-place finish was his best performance since taking over retired Kevin Harvick's No. 4 car. Erik Jones, a two-time winner at Darlington, finished 19th in his first race back after suffering a compression fracture in a lower vertebra during a crash at Talladega last month. Jones missed races at Dover and Kansas. Larson's No. 5 paint scheme, paying tribute to Hall of Famer Terry Labonte's 1996 title-winning car, was chosen as the best throwback by the fans. The series will take a break from points racing for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro in North Carolina.
