“If I keep having kids, I might need to”: $45M-worth Brad Keselowski comes clean on his NASCAR retirement

Brad Keselowski turned 41 last Wednesday (February 12), making him the third-oldest among the active NASCAR Cup Series regulars. Given that most drivers retire in their 40s, one might wonder if it’s time for the $45 million former series champion to retreat.

When asked about the same, the Rochester Hills native replied that he might have to keep working until he is 50 or even beyond. He will be a dad for the fourth time, and raising a child requires money.

“I mean, if I keep having kids, I might need to,” Keselowski told reporters. “I have a lot of desire, as much if not more. I have my family, my kids, and there’s a lot of this discourse around when a driver has kids that they lose some hunger and all this other stuff. Like to me, I feel like I’ve experienced the opposite.”

Keselowski is looking forward to bagging his 37th career win, let alone planning a retirement. Just as he was arriving at Daytona International Speedway for the 67th annual Daytona 500, Scarlett, his eight-year-old daughter, said she wanted her dad to visit the victory lane.

“That gasses me up, right?” Brad Keselowski continued. “Not that I wasn’t trying to win before, but you’re like, that last two laps on the radio, when it’s to put your kids in Victory Lane, that’s a little extra jazz, right?”

Brad Keselowski hasn’t won in months. His last win came at Darlington Raceway on May 12, 2024. However, that victory snapped a 110-race winless streak, marking his first Cup Series win as a driver-owner.

Former NASCAR legend drops verdict on Brad Keselowski’s championship hunt

In a recent episode of the Happy Hour Podcast, former NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick said that it’s unlikely for Brad Keselowski to win another championship. Although there have been glimpses of solid top-five and top-10 runs from the No. 6 team, Harvick thinks Keselowski will never be as competitive as he was back at Team Penske.

“We’ve seen flashes of brilliance out of that car over the past few years,” Harvick said. “But it comes in small pockets. It’s just not been where it needs to be to be back in championship mode.”

During his 12-year stint at Penske, Keselowski finished inside the top-10 nine times. But he hasn’t seen that level of success since joining RFK Racing as a driver and part owner in 2022. Last season, Keselowski ended up 13th. He has won just once during his time at RFK, whereas his teammate Chris Buescher has won five times in the same span.

Keselowski will try to bring his winning tally up as he eyes his 16th Daytona 500 bid this coming Sunday, February 16. The 500-miler will stream live on FOX (from 1:30 pm ET onwards) with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.