Career Timeline of Brad Keselowski: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Brad Keselowski made an impact.

Brad Keselowski is a prominent American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and entrepreneur. He currently races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, piloting the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing, a team he co-owns. Previously, Keselowski owned Brad Keselowski Racing, which operated two full-time trucks in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for a decade, showcasing his involvement and success in multiple facets of the racing industry.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

2000: Began racing stock cars

In 2000, Brad Keselowski began racing stock cars in the Factory Stock division.

2004: Started NASCAR Career

In 2004, Brad Keselowski started his NASCAR career.

2004: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Debut

In 2004, Keselowski debuted in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driving the No. 29 Ford F-150 in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville, where he started twenty-sixth and finished thirty-third.

2005: Competed Full-Time in Truck Series

In 2005, Keselowski started competing in the Truck Series full-time. He finished seventh in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona.

2006: Kurt Busch driving the No. 2 car since 2006

In 2006 Kurt Busch had been driving Penske's No. 2 Miller Lite-sponsored Dodge until 2011, when Brad Keselowski took over the driving duties of that car.

2006: Drove for K-Automotive and MB Motorsports

In 2006, Keselowski drove the first two races for K-Automotive before a lack of sponsorship caused the team to temporarily suspend operations. He later drove for MB Motorsports.

2007: Competed in Busch Series Full-Time

In 2007, Keselowski began competing in the Busch Series full-time driving the No. 23 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for Keith Coleman Racing. During the 2007 Truck Series season, he replaced Ted Musgrave and won his first career pole at Memphis. He also drove for JR Motorsports. He was involved in a violent accident at California Speedway, but was cleared to race at Richmond.

2007: Race Team Formed

In 2007, Keselowski formed his own race team.

2007: Montreal race in 2007

The pile-up and the shocking finish between Marcos Ambrose and Carl Edwards resembled the finish of the Montreal race in 2007 when Marcos Ambrose almost won but was crashed by Robby Gordon during the confusion of a similar crash in turn 1.

2008: First Nationwide Series Victory and Sprint Cup Debut

In 2008, Keselowski earned his first career victory in the Nationwide Series at Nashville Superspeedway. He also made his Sprint Cup debut for Hendrick Motorsports, finishing 19th at Texas.

2008: Truck Series Competition Begins

In 2008, Keselowski's race team began competing in the Truck Series, with Keselowski driving the No. 29 Chevrolet and earning the team's first top-ten finish.

November 2009: Controversy at Talladega

In November 2009, Keselowski met controversy at Talladega when he bumped Kurt Busch causing a fifteen-car melee.

2009: Competed in Nationwide and Cup Series

In 2009, Keselowski drove the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series and competed in a limited Cup schedule for Hendrick Motorsports and Phoenix Racing.

2009: First Sprint Cup Victory at Talladega

In 2009, Keselowski earned his first career Sprint Cup victory in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega after a controversial last-lap incident involving Carl Edwards. The event resulted in injuries to eight fans.

2009: Fifth Spot at Montreal in the NAPA 200

In 2009, Keselowski finished in fifth spot at Montreal in the NAPA 200. With three laps left, Keselowski barely avoided a pile-up in turn 1 to end up in the fifth spot earning back his lost points.

2009: Fourth Win at Iowa Speedway

In 2009, Keselowski secured his fourth win at the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway, marking his first-ever Nationwide race victory.

2009: Run-ins with Denny Hamlin

Throughout 2009, Keselowski had a series of run-ins with Denny Hamlin in the Nationwide Series, including an incident at Phoenix where Keselowski punted Hamlin, leading to retaliation from Hamlin the following week.

2009: Nationwide Series Title

With crew chief Paul Wolfe all year, in 2009 Keselowski won his first-ever NASCAR Nationwide Series title, collecting 6 wins, five poles, 26 top-fives, and 29 top-tens along the way. His 26 top-fives beat Kyle Busch's record of 25 top-fives set in 2009.

2010: Replaced David Stremme in Cup Series

In 2010, Keselowski replaced David Stremme in the No. 12 Dodge Charger in the Cup Series and ran the full Nationwide Series schedule. He was involved in a wreck at Atlanta after contact with Carl Edwards.

2010: Nationwide Wins and Rivalry with Carl Edwards

In 2010, Keselowski scored his first Nationwide win at Talladega and went on to win five more races. He also had a continued rivalry with Carl Edwards, culminating in a controversial incident at Gateway International Raceway.

November 2011: Kahne wins at Phoenix

At Charlotte in 2013, Keselowski captured the win. This was Keselowski's first win driving a Ford, snapping a 38-race winless streak. This was also the first Chase race won by a "spoiler" since Kahne won at Phoenix in November 2011.

2011: Qualifies for his First Career Chase

In 2011, Brad Keselowski secured a spot in the Chase for the Cup due to NASCAR's rule change designating wild card slots for drivers with the most wins ranked eleventh through twentieth in points. Keselowski finished the regular season eleventh in points, using his three wins to qualify for his first career Chase.

2011: Move to Penske's No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

In 2011, Brad Keselowski transitioned to Penske's No. 2 Miller Lite-sponsored Dodge, previously driven by Kurt Busch. This shift occurred due to a sponsorship change and the team's operational consolidation, with Busch moving to the renumbered No. 22 Dodge.

2011: Wins the 2011 STP 400 at Kansas Speedway

In 2011, Brad Keselowski won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 and then won the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway, holding off Dale Earnhardt Jr. on fuel mileage and running out of fuel after the victory.

2011: Second place at Watkins Glen

In 2011, Keselowski finished second at Watkins Glen International.

2011: Second Place at Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen & Irwin Tools Night Race win

In 2011, Keselowski finished second at the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen after leading late but being passed by Marcos Ambrose. He followed this with a third-place finish at the Pure Michigan 400 and a win at the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol.

2011: Kligerman Drives for BKR

In 2011, Parker Kligerman drove the No. 29 Ram for Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR) in the Camping World Truck Series and finished eleventh in points.

March 18, 2012: Wins Food City 500

On March 18, 2012, Keselowski won the Food City 500 at Bristol. He also won the Aaron's 499 at Talladega. It was Dodge's first Sprint Cup Series win at Talladega since Dave Marcis in 1976.

June 30, 2012: Wins at Kentucky Speedway

On June 30, 2012, Keselowski won his third race at Kentucky Speedway, becoming the first driver to win three races in the 2012 Cup season. Starting with Kentucky, he had a hot streak, earning his Sprint Cup title.

August 2012: Second Place at Watkins Glen

In August 2012, Keselowski finished second in the Nationwide race at Watkins Glen, leading late but losing to Carl Edwards after cautions. Both drivers confirmed they no longer dislike each other.

September 15, 2012: Blaney Achieves First Victory for BKR

On September 15, 2012, Ryan Blaney secured Brad Keselowski Racing's (BKR) first victory at Iowa Speedway after replacing Parker Kligerman midway through the season.

2012: Wins Sprint Cup Championship

2012 was Keselowski's best Sprint Cup season to date: he won five races and the Sprint Cup championship. He posted pictures and status updates via Twitter from his car during a red flag period at the Daytona 500 where he finished 32nd due to a crash.

2012: Qualifies for the Chase for the Sprint Cup

During the 2012 Sprint Cup season, Keselowski achieved a second-place finish at Michigan after leading with 10 laps remaining. His strong performance qualified him for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, entering in fourth place due to his three regular-season wins.

2012: Championship Win with Wolfe

In 2012, Brad Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe won the championship, marking a significant milestone in their nine-year partnership which ended prior to the 2020 season.

2012: Rivalry Ended with Kyle Busch

In 2012, Keselowski and Kyle Busch announced that they ended their rivalry though they've had a few run-ins since. Keselowski and Busch made contact at Watkins Glen in 2012.

2012: Second place at Watkins Glen

In 2012, Keselowski finished second at Watkins Glen International.

August 10, 2013: Wins Nationwide Series Race at Watkins Glen

On August 10, 2013, Keselowski won at Watkins Glen in the Nationwide series, giving him four consecutive wins in his last four starts.

September 5, 2013: Wins Nationwide Series race at Richmond

On September 5, 2013, Keselowski won his third Nationwide Series race at Richmond, making it five race wins in his last six starts.

2013: Contact with Kyle Busch at Kansas

In 2013, Busch crashed Keselowski at Kansas that didn't boil over.

2013: Second place at Watkins Glen

In 2013, Keselowski finished second at Watkins Glen International for the third consecutive time in the event. Keselowski raced Kyle Busch completely clean, later saying he did it in an attempt to repair their old rivalry.

2014: Controversy at AAA Texas 500 and strong season finish

In 2014, during the AAA Texas 500, Keselowski's contact with Jeff Gordon led to a pit road brawl. He finished fourth at the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500, missing the final round, but achieved a personal best of six victories in the season.

2014: Disappointing season compared to 2013

Keselowski's 2014 season was considered more disappointing compared to his 2013 performance, ending with one win, nine top-five finishes, 25 top-tens, three poles, and one DNF.

January 25, 2015: Joins NASCAR on Fox as Xfinity Series analyst

On January 25, 2015, it was announced that Keselowski, along with Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick, would serve as an Xfinity Series analyst for NASCAR on Fox, covering the Atlanta, Phoenix, and Richmond races.

2015: Pole position at Texas and Chase elimination

In 2015, Keselowski started on the pole at Texas, leading the most laps but finishing second. After a bad finish at Phoenix, he was eliminated from the Chase. He led the most laps at the Ford 400, finishing 3rd after a late caution.

August 17, 2017: BKR Closing Announcement

On August 17, 2017, Keselowski announced that Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR) would close at the end of the 2017 season, with hopes of reopening it as a Cup Series team in the future. He later purchased an ownership stake in Roush Fenway Racing.

2017: Daytona 500 Crash and Atlanta Win

In 2017, Keselowski crashed out of the Daytona 500 after leading thirteen laps. At Atlanta, after pit issues and a penalty for Kevin Harvick, Keselowski won the race after battling with Kyle Larson.

2017: Contract Extension with Penske Racing

On October 2, 2013, Keselowski signed a contract extension with Penske Racing to remain with the team until 2017.

2018: Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM) Established

Established in early 2018 by Keselowski, Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM) was founded with an emphasis on additive manufacturing and CNC machining, aiming to provide end-to-end capabilities for customers.

2018: Return to Team Penske

In 2018, it was confirmed that Keselowski would return to Team Penske for the season.

2018: Wins at Darlington, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas

The 2018 season saw Keselowski winning back-to-back races at Darlington and Indianapolis, achieving Team Penske's first Brickyard 400 victory. He also won at Las Vegas, giving Roger Penske his 500th overall motorsports victory, but was eliminated from the Round of 12 after the Kansas race.

January 24, 2019: Official Launch of Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM)

On January 24, 2019, Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM) held its official launch, focusing on additive manufacturing, CNC machining, quality control, and engineering design to provide end-to-end manufacturing capabilities.

2019: Wins at Atlanta, Martinsville, and Kansas; Round of 12 Elimination

In 2019, Keselowski won at Atlanta, Martinsville, and Kansas, marking his 60th win with Team Penske and the first MENCS win for the new Ford Mustang GT. He was later eliminated in the Round of 12 after the Kansas race for the second consecutive season.

2020: Crew Chief Change

Prior to the 2020 season, Jeremy Bullins replaced Paul Wolfe as Keselowski's crew chief, ending a nine-year partnership that included a 2012 championship win.

July 15, 2021: Cindric to Replace Keselowski in No. 2; Keselowski Joins Roush Fenway Racing

On July 15, 2021, Penske announced that Austin Cindric would take over the No. 2 car in 2022. Keselowski announced he would join Roush Fenway Racing as a minority team owner and driver of the No. 6, replacing Ryan Newman.

2021: Daytona 500 Crash and GEICO 500 Win

In 2021, Keselowski crashed in the Daytona 500 final lap but later won the GEICO 500. He made it to the Round of 8 in the playoffs before being eliminated and finished the season sixth in points.

2023: Improved Finishes and Playoff Appearance

In 2023, Keselowski finished 22nd at the Daytona 500 and made his 500th career start at Gateway. Despite not winning a race, he made it to the playoffs but was eliminated from the Round of 12. He finished the season eighth in the points standings.

2024: KAM Merger with ADDMAN

In 2024, Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM) announced a merger with ADDMAN, a Florida-based manufacturing company, with Keselowski becoming a commercial advisor on ADDMAN’s board of directors.

2024: Darlington Win and Playoff Elimination

Keselowski started the 2024 season with a DNF at the Daytona 500. At Darlington, he won his first race of 2024. Keselowski was eliminated from the playoffs at the conclusion of the Round of 16.

2025: No Playoff Appearance and Season Result

Keselowski started the 2025 season with a 26th-place finish at the Daytona 500. With no wins during the regular season, he failed to make the playoffs and finished the season 20th in the points standings.