Brad Keselowski to close Truck Series team at end of 2017 season

Brad Keselowski’s Camping World Truck Series team will cease operations at the end of the 2017 season, the former Cup Series champion announced Thursday.

Brad Keselowski Racing fielded two full-time teams in NASCAR’s third-tier division, acting as a conduit for young drivers, crew members and other personnel to get their first opportunity to race at the national level.

“The Truck Series is truly special to me given my family’s ties to the history of the sport, and this decision comes with much contemplation. But, for a number of reasons, and as I plan for the long-term future, I’ve decided not to field a team in 2018,” Keselowski said in a statement.

“My goal with BKR was to create a top-tier team which would allow me to give back to the sport by creating opportunities and quality experience for others, whether they be drivers, mechanics, engineers, or support personnel.”

The team currently campaigns trucks for rookies Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric. Briscoe ranks fourth in the points standings, Cindric is 10th, with neither owning a victory this season. BKR has won nine times since being founded in 2008 as a part-time team, then elevating to full-time status three years later.

BRK is the second prominent Truck Series team to shut down this season, joining Red Horse Racing, which closed in May after competing in the first five races. The difficult economic climate within NASCAR, where sponsorship is scarce, combined with the high cost of operating a team, factored heavily in both BRK and RHR folding.

Keselowski, 33, has previously stated he lost $1 million annually operating his team. In February he married his longtime girlfriend and the couple have a young daughter. The 2012 Cup Series champion also signed a multi-year contract with Team Penske last month.

“It is tougher to get deals done now, and it’s only going to get harder,” Keselowski wrote in a blog post on his website Thursday. “I’m no longer a driver who’s just starting out, and as I get older, it’s more difficult to justify losing money, especially as I look toward the future.”