Why Keselowski's Crew Chief Change Could Land Him in the Chase in 2027

RFK Racing parted ways with Jeremy Bullins, who has served as Brad Keselowski's crew chief the last 2 seasons. Could this lead to the spark Keselowski and the team need?

Brad Keselowski walks out for qualifying for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 NASCAR Cup Series race on Aug. 28, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

On Monday afternoon, RFK Racing and Jeremy Bullins officially revealed an amicable separation. Bullins had served as the crew chief for Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 Ford team since the beginning of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

While changes are always difficult to make, and in recent years mid-season changes in the NASCAR Cup Series have become increasingly rare, it feels like there is a real possibility that this decision could benefit all parties over the long-term.

In a statement, RFK Racing expressed that the team wishes "Jeremy nothing but the best," as it sounds like the veteran crew chief has already lined up his next opportunity. And Keselowski issued a statement thanking Bullins for his efforts over nearly the last two seasons.

"I am very appreciative of all the work and effort Jeremy Bullins put into the 6 car as my crew chief [for] the past two seasons," Keselowski said in his statement. "I wish him the best in his next endeavor."

Keselowski would then announce Mike Skarbowski, previously RFK Racing's Race Support Manager, as his new crew chief moving forward. What happens next could change everything for Keselowski and RFK Racing.

The Late-Season Change Could Lay Keselowski's 2027 Foundation

At 42 years old, it's no secret that Keselowski, a future NASCAR Hall of Famer, is closer to the end of his driving career than he is to the beginning of it. But the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion has no intention of walking into the sunset on a downward note.

At the end of the 2021 season, Keselowski, who spent the first 12 full-time seasons of his NASCAR Cup Series career driving for Team Penske, made a drastic change. He jumped ship to Roush Fenway Racing, which was rebranded upon his arrival to Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing. In addition to driving the team's iconic No. 6 Ford, made famous by Mark Martin, Keselowski was taking on part-ownership of the company.

While RFK Racing had struggled mightily in the seasons prior to Keselowski's arrival, there were hopes the debut of the Next Gen car in 2022 could help them erase the gap and become contenders once again.

Keselowski struggled out of the gates in 2022, and those struggles were compounded mightily by an L2-level penalty for an inadequately repaired tail panel, which caused the driver and the No. 6 team to lose 100 championship points. While it hurt deeply at the time, a year later, Keselowski called the penalty "One of the best things to ever happen to us."

The driver said that his team was better for the penalty, and after spending the second half of the 2022 season honing the performance of its race cars, Keselowski and Chris Buescher, the driver of the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford, each made the Playoffs in 2023.

Fast forward to 2026, with Keselowski not in NASCAR's Chase for the second consecutive season, getting a jumpstart on the development of the 2027 program for the No. 6 team, you'd expect it to be more beneficial than keeping Bullins atop the pit box for the final seven races of the season in a lame-duck situation.

Perhaps Keselowski and Skarbowski, who served as the crew chief for RFK Racing's part-time No. 99 entry earlier this season at Daytona International Speedway, can hit on something over the final stretch of the season. And if they do, Keselowski, the No. 6 RFK Racing team, and RFK Racing as a whole will likely be better for it all this time next season.