Of all of the drivers in the NASCAR Quaker State 400, Brad Keselowski and his crew chief had the most excruciating decision to make. Keselowski won Stage 2 and then reality set in. The No. 6 was low on fuel, but out in front. Rain was coming in and when it hit, it wasn’t going to stop. They knew the race would end when the weather moved into the area.
So, what do you do? Well, Matt McCall, Keselowski’s crew chief, called his driver in to get fuel. From the way the crew chiefs were looking at it, they had about 10 minutes until the rain began.
In total, 11 cars stayed out, and everyone else went in for fuel and/or tires. So, Brad Keselowski and his team were part of the consensus. Restarting 17th on the restart coming out of the stage break, Keselowski moved up through the field. A wreck between Bubba Wallace and Ryan Preece brought the caution out, and Keselowski was sitting P6. He would stay there by the time the race went under red flag and that would be his official place when NASCAR called it.
“We needed either the yellow to hit or the rain to come 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes later, and it came right when we didn’t need it, so that’s life,” Keselowski said to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic.
In the end, they were in a lose-lose situation. Where William Byron was in the right place, at the right time, Brad Keselowski was the opposite. But he supports his crew chief.
“[McCall] can see what I can’t, and I got to drive the car,” he said. “I don’t think he made a bad call, just the way it goes.”
Brad Keselowski still in the playoffs after Atlanta
Despite not having a win on the season, Brad Keselowski is still in a good spot regarding his playoff hopes. After the race in Atlanta and a near miss on the win, Keselowski is 12th in the standings. He has moved up right behind his driver and teammate Chris Buescher. In fact, the two are just a couple of points apart.
This season has been really great for RFK Racing. A big turnaround from the last couple of seasons. As that organization builds confidence and rack up more top-5s and top-10s, the wins are going to come. Buescher won at Bristol in the playoffs last year, playing spoiler for the postseason drivers. He could be among those 16 this season.
As for Keselowski, it would be little comfort to make the playoffs without a win. He has now gone 80 races without a victory and he’s likely itching for one at this point. Drivers like Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney broke their winless streaks this season. Is the No. 6 next?
Brad Keselowski had a close call in Atlanta. You get put in situations at times when you can’t come out on top. The team put together the best run they could and almost snagged a top-5 finish. Onto New Hampshire.