“I see it almost every week”: Brad Keselowski is baffled by the ‘single biggest change’ in NASCAR Cup drivers

Over the years, Brad Keselowski has never been one to hold back when he sees something changing in NASCAR and not for the better. The RFK Racing co-owner and full-time driver weighed in again recently with a strong take on a shift he believes is changing the very culture of Cup racing.

Keselowski's comment came in response to an onboard clip from the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, a playoff race that showcased the full reality of today's aggressive mid-pack driving. The clip, shared by a fan, offered a clear view from Keselowski's dashcam, with team radio feeding real-time strategy.

He reposted the clip and wrote:

"Single biggest change I've seen in the cup series drivers over last 10 years - Complete willingness to semi-intentionally wreck each other running 15th or worse. I see it almost every week and none worse than this week in Iowa. Not sure what to make of it."

The Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway saw 12 cautions and multiple blatant incidents, as has been the case throughout the season. One wreck in particular occurred on Lap 229. Carson Hocevar nudged Zane Smith, sending the No. 38 car into the SAFER barriers. Smith, running 23rd, was out of contention. It was the latest entry in what Keselowski now sees as a weekly trend of drivers far out of contention making moves that ruin races.

So when part-time racer Josh Bilicki responded to Brad Keselowski, asking:

"In your opinion, how much of this is caused by aero blocking and how hard it is to pass with the current car? Or is it just the new gen of racers?"

"It's not the car," he replied, pointing to driver behavior.

Brad Keselowski doesn't dispute that wrecks happen at the front and sometimes matter. What concerns him is that in the middle of the field, they can feel pointless and increasingly, they feel deliberate.

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"Car owners used to be much more present": Brad Keselowski reflects on aero and ownership culture shift

Brad Keselowski speaks with team owner Roger Penske during the 2013 Las Vegas Cup race. Source: Getty

There's no separating this trend from the evolution of the racecar. The Next Gen car, introduced in 2022, was billed as a reset - equal cars, more parity, better racing. But in reality, it has reintroduced aerodynamic problems that are now defining the racing product.

Because the cars are so aero-sensitive, clean air has become king. Passing in traffic is difficult, if not borderline impossible, especially when leading drivers can now control airflow behind them with minor adjustments. At tracks like Dover, even faster cars couldn't make the pass because dirty air destabilized them. It's not traditional blocking - it's aero-blocking. And the driver behind can't bump their way through when they can't even get close enough to try.

But Brad Keselowski pointed to culture and accountability, and how those have changed alongside the cars. When another fan asked whether the issue was the difficulty in passing or a lack of respect, he put the spotlight on team ownership:

"Car owners used to be much more present and accountability driven. They would surely fire you for one of two reasons - Wrecking and Not running well. If you did both as a driver, no chance of making it. This made all the drivers not want to wreck when they weren’t running well."

A generation ago, tearing up a car while running 18th meant a call to the hauler, and possibly the end of your contract. Drivers self-policed more, and car owners made sure of it. But today's Cup Series is built differently.

Brad Keselowski during the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500. Source: Getty

Now, teams are leaner, owners are often less hands-on, and cars are built to be replaceable. Some of that is a function of cost control, but it also means drivers, trying to prove themselves, can be more aggressive without consequences. The result is a growing trend of contact for contact's sake, especially in the midfield.

Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin had called the cars 'composite bodies', as Keselowski implies - interchangeable, disposable, and often taken for granted. In this world, accountability has slipped as skill and racecraft get replaced by desperation and impatience. And that is the real change for Keselowski.