DARLINGTON, SC (August 31, 2025) – The Southern 500 is one of the season’s most demanding races, and Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing met the challenge. Chris Buescher, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Preece each delivered strong efforts Sunday at Darlington Raceway. Buescher earned his 14th top-10 finish this year, Keselowski posted what was perhaps the comeback of the race, and Preece overcame late adversity to score a respectable finish.

6 Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski’s Southern 500 was defined by perseverance as he overcame early adversity to drive the BuildSubmarines.com Ford to a solid finish under the Darlington lights. After starting 32nd, Keselowski threaded his way through traffic, including an early spin by Josh Berry. The biggest obstacle, however, came on pit road when the left-front tire wasn’t completely tight as he left his box. Instead of returning to his stall, Keselowski was forced to stop in Joey Logano’s pit stall, where the loose wheel was tightened by the 22 team. He was still assessed a drive-through penalty for pitting outside his box and finished Stage One in 33rd, two laps down.

In Stage Two, Keselowski and his RFK team clawed back with determination. After pitting between segments, he began turning competitive lap times and even passed some lead-lap cars. When an early caution came out, the No. 6 team stayed out, gaining one lap back as the leaders pitted. Keselowski finally returned to the lead lap by taking the wave-around in the next caution period. He ended the stage in 23rd and was eager to capitalize on the opportunity in the final stage.

Stage Three showcased Keselowski’s resilience. Restarting 23rd, he began picking his way forward, climbing into 19th before a caution on lap 316 gave him a chance to pit once more. Lined up 17th with under 50 laps remaining, Keselowski battled fiercely with playoff contenders and continued to gain ground. By the checkered flag, he had fought his way to a 15th-place finish, an impressive comeback from two laps down.

“We had really good long run speed,” Said Keselowski.  “We needed all 500 miles today, that’s for sure. We passed some cars there towards the end and got ourselves a solid finish, but we want to be a little better.”