NASCAR: Brad Keselowski rumors heat up after recent wins

Rumors about Brad Keselowski’s future in the NASCAR Cup Series have re-emerged after he secured his first two wins in over a year.

Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski ended a NASCAR Cup Series win drought that had been over a year long when he won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Sunday/Monday.

A late call to stay out from second place while leader Chase Elliott came into the pits for new tires ahead of the two-lap overtime shootout paid off, as Elliott dropped to 11th and could only battle back to third. He was scored in second after second place finisher Jimmie Johnson was disqualified.

Keselowski’s most recent win had come at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 12, 2019.

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He then went on to win just one week later at Bristol Motor Speedway after a late incident between teammate Joey Logano and Elliott saw him unexpectedly shoot to the lead with only a handful of laps remaining.

The 2012 champion entered the 2020 season as one of two Team Penske drivers without a contract to compete in the 2021 season after signing a new deal in July of 2017.

Just three races into the season, the 36-year-old Rochester Hills, Michigan native became the only one of the organization’s three drivers without a deal lined up for next year, as Ryan Blaney signed a multi-year extension. 2018 champion Joey Logano had already extended his deal with Roger Penske’s team through the 2023 season back in February of 2017.

But even with 10 weeks away from the track due to the coronavirus pandemic, Keselowski still doesn’t have a deal for next year.

Following his Charlotte win, here is what Keselowski had to say about his future and the uncertainty surrounding it, according to Motorsport.

"“Well, I know winning never hurts. I wish I had more news, but I don’t. So, yeah, winning is not a bad thing. I hope to continue to compete at a very high level and be able to win races for a long time. We’ve got a race win at a major on a team that’s really just starting to click together. This team has a lot of potential. My goodness, on pit road, they were on fire. They put us in a spot to win.“I hope that I get to take and make something of that for years to come. But it’s not all up to me. A lot of things have to come together, whether it’s sponsors or whatnot, management things. That hasn’t happened yet. I hope it does because this is my 30th win at the Cup level with Team Penske. That’s pretty special. I think I got another 30 left in me. I’d like to have the chance at that.”"

Before the unexpected stoppage in action caused by the pandemic, Keselowski shot down retirement rumors and said that he won’t be “dialing out” looking for rides outside of Team Penske but that he would be willing to field offers from teams should they dial in.

All of the sport’s top teams still have seats open for next year, and Keselowski made note of the fact that there are several top-tier rides available.

One car that has stood out is the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, which has been driven by Johnson full-time since the 2002 season. Johnson is set to retire after the 2020 season, and Keselowski has been linked to his seat.

However, there are still several notable free agents who could end up replacing the seven-time champion, including Joe Gibbs Racing’s Erik Jones and Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto.

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Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing also have seats open for next year. Could Keselowski end up with one of these other teams, or will he stick around at Team Penske? Time will tell.

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