"That’s how you make God laugh" - Brad Keselowski reflects on a 'strong' but unlucky outing for RFK Racing in Daytona 500

Brad Keselowski was classified 22nd for the Daytona 500 as his race ended in a last-lap multi-car wreck. The finishing order doesn’t do justice to Keselowski’s performance in the 500-mile race. The #6 Ford Mustang driver led the most laps on race day but failed to take the checkered flag.

Keselowski and his teammate Chris Buescher together led 74 of the 212 laps of the race. The duo started the race in the fifth row but made their way to the front after a few laps. The #6 driver took the green-white-checkered flag to win the race's first stage.

Keselowski made an appearance on FOX's RaceHub show, where he said:

“That’s the thing about [restrictor] plate racing. You make all these plans, and you know what they say about plans: If you make plans, that’s how you make God laugh. Everything just fell apart really quickly.

“Overall, a really strong showing for us at RFK, we had two great cars. Chris and I led a bunch of laps, and I thought we did a really good job of controlling the race. I just wish we coulda controlled the finish.”

With four laps remaining for the checkered flag, Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher lost the lead to the resurgent Chevies of Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon. The Ford duo, along with William Byron, caused the first of two cautions in overtime.

Both drivers pit for fuel, but Keselowski was caught in the last lap wreck. Buescher avoided the multi-car pile-up by finishing fourth.

Speaking about the final stages of the race, Brad Keselowski added:

“The 8 car [Busch] did a great job working with the 3 [Dillon] to get outside of us and I was still thinking we were going to be OK, then we had that spin with just a few laps to go.

“But it was nice to come out of there in the top 10 in points [thanks to his stage victory], for sure.”

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Brad Keselowski and RFK Racing are off to a strong start

RFK racing drivers showed strong pace in the season opener. Chris Buescher’s fourth-place finish and Brad Keselowski’s stage 1 win have boosted the team's confidence. Keselowski also topped the final practice at the Daytona 500.

Buescher won the race at Bristol last year. Keselowski, however, had a dry spell last season as he failed to win a race. Both drivers finished outside the top 20 in the driver's standings.

Moving into the second season as the team's owner, the #6 driver is hopeful of winning two or more races. The 39-year-old had a genuine shot at winning the Daytona 500, missing out on the final few laps.

With a strong start to the season, the RFK team will hope to continue their momentum as they head into the second race.