Keselowski Crew Chief: 'Have to Laugh Or Cry' About Rough Start

Nigel Kinrade, NKP for Ford Performance

It's no secret that the first eight races of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season have been disappointing for Brad Keselowski and Jeremy Bullins, who joined the No. 6 RFK Racing team as crew chief this season after a tumultuous 44-race stint with the Wood Brothers Racing team.

In last Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway, Keselowski and Bullins sought to change their unfortunate 2025 campaign as the No. 6 team was returning to a race that they won a season ago. And from the drop of the green flag, Keselowski showed promise. Unfortunately, a potential season-best finish was snuffed out by a pit road mistake.

RESULTS: Goodyear 400 at Darlington

Starting from the 20th position, Keselowski made up a ton of track position on the long run, as he methodically climbed through the field up to the sixth position by the time the green and white checkered flag, signifying the end of Stage 1, was shown to the field.

Keselowski would continue to run inside the top-10 during the opening portion of Stage 2 at Darlington, but the wheels would fall off, literally and figuratively, for the No. 6 team following a pit stop on Lap 132.

After a four-tire pit stop, Keselowski would return to the race track, where he'd quickly feel a vibration, and then he would lose control of his No. 6 car and would spin sideways on Lap 135. The right rear wheel had detached from Keselowski's car but had been trapped in the car's wheel opening, which caused the situation.

Brad Keselowski goes around! #NASCARonFS1 pic.twitter.com/xn02vNatBg

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 6, 2025

Keselowski lost a couple of laps due to the detached wheel situation, but was fortunate that several cars, including Bubba Wallace, narrowly avoided colliding with his No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang Dark Horse as it was skidding precariously in the middle of the track.

The driver and his No. 6 team would solider on the remainder of the day, but were never able to have the planets align to allow them to fight back onto the lead lap.

"Yeah, had a great car today. Felt like we had one of the better cars on the long run. Just had an unfortunate deal on a pit stop with not getting the right rear tight, and the wheel nut came off," crew chief Jeremy Bullins told Racing America On SI after the race. "It cost us a couple of laps, and got one of them back, just couldn't get in the right situation to get the others back."

Keselowski would be credited with a 33rd-place result, marking the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion's third finish of 33rd-or-worse this season, and his sixth sub-26th-place finish through the opening eight races of the season.

The No. 6 RFK Racing team has been snakebitten so far this season, but Bullins believes if the team can keep a positive mindset that things will turn around for them soon.

"You know, I've been through stuff like this in the past, and I just try not to question why or what, and just try to keep digging and bringing good cars to the track, and sooner or later, it's going to click," Bullins explained.

Bullins continued, "We've had a lot of good cars this year and gotten nothing out of it, so, we're just going to keep working hard and keep bringing good cars to the track and keep digging."

While they've had speed, Keselowski, Bullins, and their group have not had any finishes to back that speed up to this point in the season. In a word, it's been frustrating. However, Bullins is trying to keep the energy up within the No. 6 RFK Racing team despite an opening eight races filled with bad luck and mistakes, which have mired them 31st in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings.

"I mean, you know, at some point, you either have to laugh or cry about it. We're just going to laugh and keep our heads up, keep working, and keep digging. We know we're a better team than where we're finishing these races, and we'll be fine," Bullins stated.

This week, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the 500-lap Food City 500. There may not be a better track on the circuit for Keselowski and his No. 6 RFK Racing team to bust their current slump at than the 0.533-mile short track in Tennessee.

Keselowski is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner at Bristol Motor Speedway, and while he's never captured victory there in an RFK Racing machine, Keselowski has turned in several great performances at Bristol in the No. 6 car.

In the 2022 Night Race at Bristol, Keselowski had the field covered as he led 109 laps, and looked to be heading toward a race win until a flat tire late in the race foiled his bid for the win. Keselowski would fininsh that race 13th, one lap off the pace.

As Keselowski missed out on the win, his RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher captured victory, which cemented that RFK Racing had Bristol Motor Speedway figured out.

In his next two starts at Bristol, Keselowski would record finishes of eighth in the Fall of 2023, and third in the Spring of 2024. If Keselowski and Bullins are going to claw their way back out of the hole they find themselves in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, Sunday's Food City 500 will be a key race in the turnaround.

The Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway is set for Sunday, April 13. The race will be televised by FS1, and coverage will kick off at 3:00 PM ET.