Long-time RFK Racing partner Castrol launched their latest innovation in motor oil technology with new product claims across 7 Critical Areas of performance and protection.
The claims highlight Castrol’s continued superiority in driving motor oil innovation, and they will come to life this weekend at Darlington Raceway in a unique paint scheme that Brad Keselowski is set to run on his No. 6 Ford.
However, it won't be just the usual No. 6 Ford in the Goodyear 400. This weekend, it's the No. 6+1 Ford, since the focus is the "7" Critical areas.
But RFK Racing have promised it's still Keselowski in the car, and not Justin Haley, who drives the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.
Math would say we're Justin Haley but we promise you guys this is still Brad K pic.twitter.com/wTHrgsdkat
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) March 31, 2025
"It’s the six-plus-one theme because we're the No. 6 car, which I think is kind of fun, so it's got the No. 6 on it, and then the +1," Keselowski told Beyond the Flag. "It's a great initiative."
The paint scheme for the Goodyear 400 is not a full throwback scheme for Keselowski, but it does have elements of it.
"It's not a full throwback," Keselowski admitted. "There are some elements of it that are a throwback to me. Probably the most critical one, it's got the gold foil numbers on it, and the black and gold base. It's a little bit of a throwback to some cars that my dad raced in the in the early 1990s, and that's special to me."
The new claims, which are set to be featured on Castrol motor oils starting this month, highlight "Ultimate Performance & Protection" (EP), "Superior Performance & Protection" (EDGE), and "Superior Protection" (GTX Full Synthetic) across the seven critical areas.
These areas, ironically, include "six plus one" areas, making it an ever greater fit for the slight change in Keselowski's car number for the weekend.
The first six are pressure, power, fuel economy, high-temperature performance, cleanliness, and wear protection, and then the seventh is either endurance (for synthetic oils) or emissions systems protection (for high mileage oils).
Keselowski says that one of the reasons he chose to come to RFK Racing, not just as a driver but as a co-owner, back in 2022, when they were still known as Roush Fenway Racing, is having the opportunity work with a brand like Castrol, with which he had never worked before.
"No, it's my first time; it's one of the things I really liked about coming to RFK, when you have partners that are blue-chip, and Castrol is a global company, clearly part of a blue-chip brand with BP, and I'm thrilled to have them on our side," he said. "This is the seventh year of the partnership, so that's a long-term partnership for sure, and I hope it goes on for decades to come."
He is excited about this particular initiative since it highlights the benefits of Castrol, not just on the race track, but for the average, everyday driver.
“I think we do all the time," he said of his RFK Racing team taking advantage of Castrol's technology. "It's just probably now more recognized and formalized with, to some degree, the values of what Castrol is trying to do. We've been using Castrol products at RFK here through our partnership for almost a decade.
"I think it's a terrific partnership for us that is more than just kind of signage on the car. It's actually in the car, whether it's the oils or brake fluids and beyond, so it's nice for us to get to kind of share that story to our fans and to any of those watching our sport, a little broader, a little deeper. And I think the seven critical areas messaging is meant to do that. It's kind of a global platform for Castrol, in that regard."
The benefits for the everyday American are also pretty straightforward.
“I think understanding how your car works, where its strengths are, where its weaknesses are, are important," Keselowski continued. "And then knowing how to steer it in a direction that is favorable to you, whether that be any one of these things, having more power, better fuel economy, or having a car that lasts longer. I think pretty much everybody would agree that those are good things.
"Some might value one more than others, or any of the other seven critical areas. I don't know many people who are like ‘hey, I want to buy a new car every year because I'm okay with it breaking down’ or ‘hey, I want a car that goes really slow and uses a lot of gas.’ I think people kind of understand why you'd want to take care of it. It's nice to have a reminder every once in a while."
And when he is operating his everyday road vehicle, he is doing it with Castrol.
"I have a couple different road vehicles that Ford gives us," he said. "Our family car is a Lincoln Navigator. I'm married and I have three kids, with a fourth kid on the way; we needed a Navigator. We need all of them seats in that Navigator! That's our road car, and yes, we definitely have Castrol in it."
As a part of this initiative, Castrol has also launched the "7 Critical Areas Sweepstakes" on social media. The sweepstakes are ongoing through Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington, and the prizes include a grand prize trip for two to an upcoming Cup Series race as a guest of RFK Racing.
"It comes with the sweepstakes for two lucky fans to go to an RFK race, and it's great to see our partners at Castrol activating and kind of giving back to our fans as well," Keselowski added. "We have different ways that you can log on. Of course there's social messaging, so look for the social media messaging that will drive you to the proper links on the RFK and Castrol channels."
Fans can enter the sweepstakes by following @CastrolUSA on Instagram, Facebook, and X, and commenting using #7CriticalAreasSweepstakes. Full rules and eligibility can be found here.
Be sure to tune in to Fox Sports 1 this Sunday, April 6 at 3:00 p.m. ET for the live broadcast of the Goodyear 400 from Darlington Raceway. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action from the "Lady in Black"!