Brad Keselowski led for 27 laps during Sunday’s race at Pocono, positioning himself for a likely victory in what would have been his first win of the season. However, on lap 57, he committed a costly pit-road penalty after missing a caution signal at the pit entry, which ultimately dashed his winning hopes.
As Keselowski approached pit road, the scoring light shifted from green to yellow due to Shane van Gisbergen’s spin, but Keselowski did not notice the change. This error forced a penalty that moved him to the back of the field after a pit stop that included fresh tires and new fuel on his No. 6 Ford Mustang.
Penalty Details and Keselowski’s Reaction
Keselowski openly accepted full responsibility for the mistake, explaining that although his team instructed him to pit, he failed to confirm the pit entry status with his crew chief and spotter before entering pit road. He expressed frustration about the sequence of events that led to the penalty.
“I don’t know what that last yellow was for, but I wanted to strangle whoever it was,” Keselowski said during the Amazon Prime post-race show.
“He’s a little bigger than me. It was just one of those days.” —Brad Keselowski
Reflecting further on the decision, he emphasized personal accountability, adding,
“This is my fault, to be clear with this, When we were going down the short chute, the team said to pit this time and I had no reason to challenge them. Ultimately, I hold the steering wheel and I’m the one that’s got to check (the pit lane entry lights) and I didn’t check with the crew chief and the spotter and it’s my fault.” —Brad Keselowski
Strong Recovery Despite Setback
After serving the penalty and restarting in 30th place, Keselowski showed resilience by racing aggressively through the field. He advanced from 24th to ninth place in the final laps, finishing well-placed but far short of the potential win that seemed within reach before the penalty.
Keselowski believes that pitting just one lap earlier could have improved his chances, explaining how timing with the caution was critical. His mistake allowed other drivers to stay out on the track while he was forced to pit under caution, setting him back significantly in position.
“If I would have pitted (a lap earlier and) the yellow came out while we were on pit road, we probably would have cycled inside the top 10 with new tires and might have had a shot to win the race, So I feel bad about not taking advantage of that.” —Brad Keselowski
Keselowski’s Recent Performance and Outlook for Upcoming Races
Keselowski has struggled to maintain his earlier dominance in the NASCAR Cup Series, with just one win since the 10th race of the 2021 season, achieved last year at Darlington. Despite this, he remains optimistic about the remainder of the 2023 regular season, with nine races left on the schedule.
He expressed confidence about tracks such as Atlanta, where he has two wins, Indianapolis with one, and Iowa, a track where he has yet to win but will target improvement with upcoming testing. To prepare, Keselowski and his team scheduled a two-day test session at Gateway aimed at gathering data to enhance their performance at Iowa.
“We just need that much to win,” Keselowski said, showing with his fingers a small gap.
“If we can find just that little bit more, I think it will take us to victory lane.” —Brad Keselowski
Implications of the Penalty and Next Steps
The pit-road penalty at Pocono serves as a stark reminder of the fine margins that can affect a race outcome even for experienced champions like Keselowski. Had he avoided the costly mistake, he likely would have secured a strong top-five finish or even the win. As the season progresses, Keselowski and his team are concentrating on eliminating such errors with the hope of returning to victory lane soon.
With remaining races at key tracks and testing sessions planned, Keselowski is determined to close the gap and reclaim the winning form that defined earlier years of his NASCAR career, aiming to leverage every opportunity in the critical weeks ahead.
