A frustrated Brad Keselowski criticized the current version of the NASCAR Cup Series car after crashing out of the Quaker State 400 Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.
Brad Keselowski criticizes ‘poorly designed’ car, wants NASCAR to design ‘worthy’ car that puts on better show for fans
Brad Keselowski was critical of a car that he felt caused him to crash during Saturday night’s NASCAR race at Kentucky Speedway.
Keselowski got loose and spun out on a Lap 88 restart, an accident that also collected Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer. Keselowski and Johnson each sustained significant damage and retired from the race, while Bowyer just spun around and was able to continue on.
After being evaluated and released from the infield care center, Keselowski initially took responsibility for causing the accident, but then vented about a car he feels doesn’t allow drivers to best showcase their abilities and makes passing difficult -- especially on intermediate tracks like the 1.5-mile Kentucky oval.
“It is time for the sport to design a new car that is worthy of where this sport deserves to be and the show it deserves to put on for its fans,” Keselowski said.
”It is a poorly designed race car and it makes racing on tracks like this very difficult to put on the show we want to put on for our fans. You do what you can to gouge and claw on the restarts and get everything you can get.
Kentucky underwent a repave since its 2016 race, and before Saturday night’s race track officials attempted to widen out the surface and improve grip to by grinding tires into the bottom, middle and top grooves using a machine called the Tire Dragon.
Despite the efforts, the bottom was the predominate groove Saturday night with drivers struggling to find much grip if they moved up the track. That made the conditions challenging, particularly on restarts when the field was bunched together with drivers lined up on the outside lacking traction.
“They made a good effort,” Keselowski said. “It was better than nothing, but there are limitations. The way this car is, it needs a lot more help than a Tire Dragon.
“You have to put yourself in bad situations to do that and that is where we were. If you don’t make those moves on the restarts, then you run in the back. Or you have a bad day.”
NASCAR introduced the Generation 6 car in 2013 with a focus on giving its three manufacturers brand identity. A Gen 7 is currently is in the planing stages, NASCAR senior vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell told NBC Sports earlier in the week, though it won’t be on the track for at least a couple of years.
But while Keselowski and others struggled to pass Saturday night, Kyle Larson demonstrated it was possible to maneuver around slower cars and make passes.
The Chip Ganassi Racing driver had to start 40th after his car failed to pass pre-qualifying inspection on Friday, but advanced up to third by the completion of the 80-lap first stage. Larson then had to drop to the back again after speeding on pit road during, only to again charge forward.
Larson would go on to finish to race-winner Martin Truex Jr. Overall, Larson completed 90 green-flag passes. Chase Elliott, who finished third, was next-best with 66 green-flag passes.
“My car was good, so I had fun,” Larson said. “I could see how it was probably frustrating for other people, but I thought the racing was okay.
“For sure it was hard to pass at times … repaves are just always tough to pass on.”
O’Donnell rebuked Keselowski during his weekly Monday morning appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, saying he was disappointed in the former Cup Series champion who had prominent voice in the current aerodynamic rules package as a member of the drivers council.
Keselowski is one of 10 drivers on the council that regularly meets with NASCAR executives and officials about rules, safety and other initiatives within the sport. It was at the council’s urging that NASCAR adapted a low downforce aero package prior to the start of the 2016 season.
“I think he was frustrated,” O’Donnell said. “He had a tough night, and the cars are supposed to be hard to drive. These are the best drivers in the world. … I’d chalk that up with frustration, heat of the moment, but it’s something we always work on improving the racing.
“Brad is a leader of our sport. Understand heat of the moment but definitely disappointing to see that because I think you’ve got to take the entire context and that’s more of our job. You can’t react just to one event, obviously, unless it’s a safety thing where you’ve got to make an immediate change. For us it’s balancing what we’ve seen over the entirety of the year to so far.”
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