Martinsville Speedway delivered a massive update Saturday morning as RFK Racing announced an agreement with driver and co-owner Brad Keselowski, officially clearing the path for him to continue his career behind the wheel elsewhere while severing his ownership ties to the organization. The team's statement confirmed that Keselowski will stay on as a passive investor, but his active duties on the governing board and within the competition department are finished.
The timing hit right on race weekend at Martinsville, just ahead of Sunday's Xfinity 500, marking the next-to-last race of the NASCAR Cup Series season. Stepping up to the Press Pass desk shortly after the team's release, Keselowski revealed physical proof of the sudden shift by showing crossed-out sections in his prepared remarks during a wide-ranging 35-minute media session.
This follows a turbulent stretch that began with the team's Sept. 29 announcement that the 42-year-old driver would vacate the No. 6 Ford at the end of the campaign. RFK president Chip Bowers previously explained that Keselowski's five-year driving contract was concluding and the team wanted him to pivot toward competition leadership, a vision that clashed with the driver's desire to keep racing in 2027 and beyond. Reports from The Athletic and the Sports Business Journal brought further light to the friction, revealing that the 2012 Cup Series champion had made a bid to purchase RFK Racing outright, which was ultimately rejected by team founder Jack Roush and Fenway Sports Group.
Keselowski's 2026 campaign has been a relentless grind. He missed out on The Chase presented by Mobil 1 postseason, ending the regular season 18th in the standings, and fought through a painful offseason leg injury that required a walking cane early in the year. Add in crew chief Jeremy Bullins heading to Legacy Motor Club for 2027, and a winless drought that now sits at 93 races since his lone RFK triumph at Darlington Raceway in the 2024 Goodyear 400, and it has been a brutal test of endurance.
Yet, the group has still managed to spark some late-season magic. Alongside teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, Keselowski helped orchestrate a rogue Stage 1 strategy at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend, completely blowing up the field's fuel-saving plans and turning the entire RFK trio into fan favorites.
Nascar Cup Series
