Brad Keselowski has been grappling with significant difficulties adapting to NASCAR‘s Next Generation car since its debut in 2022, most notably in his roles as both a driver and co-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK). The Next Gen, or Gen 7 car, marked a major shift in the NASCAR Cup Series starting that year, coinciding with Keselowski’s arrival at RFK as a driver and co-owner.
Before 2022, Keselowski had 35 career wins in the Cup Series and claimed the championship in Dodge’s final NASCAR season in 2012. Since joining RFK with the Next Gen car, he has only managed one victory, highlighting the tough transition he has been undergoing.
Performance Decline Amid New Car Era
Keselowski openly acknowledges the difficulties, admitting, “That’s been hard for me.” He has made the NASCAR Cup playoffs twice since 2022, finishing eighth in 2023 but dropping to 13th in 2024. His debut season with RFK in 2022 saw one of his poorest finishes, placing 24th overall and missing the playoffs. This year, although Keselowski has yet to secure a playoff spot and sits 20th in the standings with six races remaining, he has recorded two second-place finishes, one third, and two fifth-place results.
As a co-owner, Keselowski has faced similar struggles. In 2022, both he and teammate Chris Buescher missed the playoffs. Buescher rebounded into the 2023 playoffs with a seventh-place finish but then missed the cut in 2024, currently ranked 17th. Ryan Preece, who joined RFK as a third driver this season, also failed to reach the playoffs and is currently 18th in the points standings.
Adapting to the Next Gen Car’s Unique Demands
Keselowski has elaborated on the driving style adjustments required by the Next Gen car, emphasizing how drastically it differs from previous models.
“The Next Gen car changed me in some ways for the worse as a driver because you have to drive it way differently,”
he explained during a recent episode of the Stacking Pennies podcast with Corey LaJoie and Skip Flores.
He reflected on his early NASCAR days, saying,
“The cars in 2008, 2009 (his first couple of years in the Cup Series), first off, were significantly faster. I don’t know if I can put into terms how much faster they were than the Next Gen car.”
Keselowski described his initial Cup start at Texas:
“You could literally spin the tires off the corner, you spun the tires up. You come off of turn four, and you’d be putting the gas pedal down on the rear tire. Now, you can’t spin the tires on a restart. Like, I’m in the zone, mash it, here it goes (and it’s) like I’m in an old pickup truck.”
He highlighted how throttle management has shifted, saying,
“It’s different because the other cars that I’ve raced, throttle control was paramount. If you didn’t have it, you’re going to the back fast. And this car, it’s like the antithesis of that. You’ve got to like just smash the pedal. That’s been hard for me personally.”
Balancing Driving Career and Team Ownership
At 41 years old, Keselowski is aware that his time behind the wheel is limited, anticipating a transition to a full-time leadership role at RFK in the near future. Meanwhile, he continues to contend with the learning curve of the Next Gen car.
He confessed,
“I have to remind myself to like just drive it stupid, you know?”
Keselowski added,
“I am definitely Team Horsepower. You look at races like Bristol, where the tires wore and you couldn’t do that and I was like, ‘Oh, these guys are in a heap of trouble,’ particularly the younger drivers that never had to drive anything that required throttle control. They just burn them off.”
Hope for Power Upgrades to Improve Competitiveness
Looking forward, Keselowski is hopeful NASCAR will increase the Next Gen car’s horsepower next season. Currently running at 670 horsepower officially, though closer to 685–690 in actual performance, there are rumors the power will rise to between 740 and 750 horsepower.
He explained,
“It looks like NASCAR is going to change the rules next year to where we’re like 740 750,”
adding,
“It’s not quite 100 (more horsepower) because right now technically they’re at 670 – but realistically they’re like 685, 690. I think it’s just going to be a bigger spacer. That’s my understanding.”
This anticipated power increase could ease throttle control challenges and provide Keselowski a better shot at contending for another Cup championship before he retires from driving.
