"My world just flipped": Brad Keselowski reflects on how Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s phone call changed his life

Brad Keselowski opened up about how Dale Earnhardt Jr. played a pivotal role in reviving his NASCAR career. The RFK Racing co-owner vividly remembers the life-changing phone call from Dale Jr. and recently shed light on the incident.

In a conversation with Kevin Harvick, Keselowski shared how Dale Jr. gave him his first big break in NASCAR. He reflected on the challenging period between 2006-07 when he drove for Keith Coleman Racing, a backmarker team in the Xfinity Series.

Brad Keselowski recalled that his performances against the 'Buschwhackers' began attracting the attention of team owners. However, it was his substitute appearance in a Truck race at Memphis that truly caught the eye of Dale Earnhardt Jr., leading to a life-changing voicemail from the JR Motorsports owner.

In a recent episode of Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, Keselowski said:

"Probably my biggest break came when a driver got suspended after a truck race, and I filled in for him. I ran really well, sat on the pole, led a lot of laps, and had a shot to win. It felt like all these different things came together. I remember being on an airplane flying back from Memphis, flying commercial. I landed in Detroit, where I was living at the time. I turned my phone on, and I had a voicemail from Dale Jr. I remember thinking, 'This is the coolest thing ever.'" [at 25:05]

Brad Keselowski got in touch with Dale Earnhardt Jr. the following week and described how the opportunity to drive for JR Motorsports gave him a chance to establish himself in NASCAR.

"Next thing I knew, I was flying to North Carolina, and my world just flipped. I went from being a survival driver, literally in my twenties, trying to survive week to week, not knowing how I would get to the racetrack, to having a legitimate ride and establishing myself."

Keselowski drove the #88 Chevy for the second half of the 2007 season and the following two seasons. Winning six races in the period, he finished third in the standings in 2008 and 2009.

---

Brad Keselowski shares his learnings from Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 'one-liners' of wisdom

The #6 RFK Racing Ford driver said he vividly remembers his time at JR Motorsports and opened up about his close bond with Dale Earnhardt Jr. He also spoke about Dale Jr.'s 'one-liners' and how they often conveyed valuable wisdom.

"Dale has his one liners of wisdom. You'll have a whole conversation with him and you'll be like I'm not sure where this is going and he'll sneak in like a one-liner of wisdom. And you'll be like 'Damn that was actually really good,'" he said [at 26:40].

"He had a couple one-liners of wisdom that are a little less PG, that he told me at that time that really stood out to me about how to race, how to be successful and how to get yourself with the right team," he added

Keselowski added that he was proud of his stint with JR Motorsports, describing his early tenure with the team as one of the best weeks of his life.