Brad Keselowski reminisces “devastating” moment when Rick Hendrick ditched his contract in 2009 to sign Mark Martin instead

Brad Keselowski has revisited his unsavory past with Hendrick Motorsports' owner Rick Hendrick. The RFK Racing driver revealed how he was ditched despite having a contract with the North Carolina-based outfit.

Back in 2008, Keselowski drove the #9 Chevrolet for James Finch while Mark Martin fielded the #5 Chevy for HMS. Aged 49, Martin was inching closer to his retirement. At the same time, Keselowski was relatively new to the Cup Series scene, finding an opportunity to secure his future in the pinnacle of stock car racing.

He landed a contract with Hendrick Motorsports Racing to run part-time in 2010 and full-time from 2011 onwards. But soon after Mark Martin clinched his 36th Cup Series win during the 2009 Subway Fresh Fit 500 at the Phoenix International Raceway, Brad Keselowski's contract with HMS was canceled.

While conversing with Kevin Harvick, the 2012 Cup Series champion outlined the "devastating" moment when HMS owner Rick Hendrick broke the news to him about not moving forward with the contract.

"I had a contract with Rick to take over the #5 car in 2010, part-time and full-time in 2011. I signed it in July of 2008, Keselowski said via Harvick Happy Hour on X.

He continued:

"I won the Cup race [in Talladega]. I'm like,'Whew, all right, I should be okay now I've got a Cup win under my belt, my contract's pressure a lot less' and I feel really good that in the right circumstances I can be successful in Cup. And then I got a call from Rick and he said, 'Hey, I want you to come and meet me'" (1.39).

"He [Rick] says, 'I want to talk to you about something, I'm not gonna move forward with your contract. Mark Martin means a lot to me, he's running well and I think he wants to stay and I'm gonna give him every opportunity to stay and that means there's no room here for you. He's telling me all this and I'm like devastated, the RFK Racing driver added (2:33).

"I just needed him to wait"- Rick Hendrick attributes his contract termination with Brad Keselowski to extend Mark Martin's tenure

On July 4, 2008, while Mark Martin was taming the #8 car for Dale Earnhardt Inc., Hendrick Motorsports announced that the veteran driver had signed a two-year agreement with them. Martin was scheduled to run full-time in 2009.

Shortly after beginning his season with HMS, Martin came home with the Phoenix win while Brad Keselowski struggled to find a dominant footing in the Cup Series. After crashing out at the Las Vegas Speedway and a poor display at Dover Motor Speedway, the Michigan native's Cup Series stint wasn't good compared to his team's third-place Xfinity Series feat in 2008.

Brad Keselowski got a sigh of relief after clinching the Talladega win only to realize that his contract with HMS was on the verge of termination. Rick Hendrick expressed the rationale behind his decision, saying:

“I’ve told all our guys, the first time I sat down with Brad he impressed me because he was so intense about the whole car and wanted to be involved in everything. He was just so committed. I told our guys he’s got the right attitude about racing and driving. I just needed him to wait,' the team owner said via NASCAR.

Since Brad Keselowski couldn't wait for a secure Cup Series seat, he turned his attention to Team Penske and got signed for full-time Cup and Xfinity races from 2010 onwards.