“Everybody would chew tobacco and spit in the trash can”: Brad Keselowski reminisces about working in his dad’s garage ahead of Father's Day

Former NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski reminisced about his early days in the race shop with his father, Bob. He also reflected on how the disorderly garage left a lasting impression on him as a kid.

Bob Keselowski was an ARCA champion, a Truck Series pioneer, and the founder of K Automotive Racing, a team he created with his brother Ron. Commemorating Father's Day, Brad opened up about his memories with his late father and his early experiences working in his race shop. The RFK Racing co-owner had good and bad experiences in his first job as a kid.

The #6 Ford driver explained that the most important lesson from his time in the race shop was the significance of 'cleanliness'. He revealed that his dad's workshop was often messy, with most mechanics spitting tobacco in the trash can, which he described as "disgusting" to watch.

"One of my first jobs as a kid was working at my dad's race shop. I learned a lot things, some good some bad. Probably the most important thing is the power of cleanliness because it was not a clean shop and you could never find anything and you're just super inefficient," Brad said on NASCAR’s Broadcast channel.

"Everybody that worked for my father, at least when I was a kid, would chew tobacco and they would spit in the trash can and that was really disgusting. So I learned not to use tobacco at a very young age. And of course a lot of racing skills and wisdom along the way," he added.

Although Brad Keselowski picked up his racing skills from his father, the most important lesson he took away was ensuring cleanliness in his race shop.

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Exploring Brad Keselowski's father's NASCAR career

Brad Keselowski's father was an ARCA champion and pioneer driver in the Truck Series. Bob Keselowski was born in Rochester, Michigan, and broke into the racing scene with the support of his father, who was a former motorcycle racer.

Driving for the family-run K Automotive Racing in the ARCA SuperCar Series, Bob recorded 24 race wins and the 1989 championship. He was one of the pioneer drivers to have participated in the inaugural season of the NASCAR Truck Series in 1995, driving the #29 Dodge Ram.

Bob Keselowski was classified 15th in the season-end standings and finished 16th the following season. He recorded his lone Truck Series win at Richmond Raceway in 1997. He ran two part-time seasons in 1998-99, before retiring from NASCAR.

Brad Keselowski's dad battled cancer for two years, before passing away at the age of 70 in December 2021.