Avondale, AZ (March 9, 2025) – Tire strategy was a game-changer in Phoenix, creating opportunity and excitement for Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing on Sunday. Two sets of “option” tires—softer and faster during a 40-50 lap run—were available for teams to use at their discretion. Strategically, teams chose when to use them, and that gamesmanship led to a top-5 finish for Chris Buescher and propelled Ryan Preece to the lead late in the race. Brad Keselowski, though, never had the opportunity to use the option tires, as he was caught up in an unavoidable collision.

#6 Brad Keselowski – RECAP

When the green flag dropped in the Valley of the Sun, there were high hopes surrounding Brad Keselowski. The 2012 champ entered his 32nd career Phoenix start with a strong race car that was able to easily pick off positions early in the race.

The Consumer Cellular Ford quickly moved from 20th to the top 15. Before the conclusion of Stage One, Keselowski had consistently found ways to make his car faster. Throughout the first 60 laps, Keselowski adjusted his line entering the corners, enabling him to carry more speed on exit. At that time, confidence was high as he radioed the team: “We’re going to be fine. The race is going to come to us,” he said.

Unfortunately, that time never came, and Keselowski was caught up in an unavoidable crash when several cars collided in his path. Despite exhaustive efforts to repair the damage, the team was forced to settle for 33rd.

“We were just biding our time to put our soft tires on and put ourselves in a position to use them at the end, and just got caught up in somebody else’s crash,” said Keselowski after being checked and released from the care center.

Afterward, Keselowski’s leadership qualities were on full display as he rallied his team. Climbing from his car, Keselowski called all the over the wall and road crew members into a tight huddle. Looking them in the eye, he provided a motivational speech, coaching them to stay focused and not get discouraged. “I told them I was really encouraged,” Keselowski said. “I love the way our cars are driving right now, and our potential is much higher.”