NASCAR champion gets real about his impact on Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, and others: “I played a part in their success but I am not their success”

Brad Keselowski, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion, recently shared his pride in nurturing drivers like Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick who have gone on to have great careers at the highest level of Stock Car Racing. As a former owner of Brak Keselowski Racing (BKR) in the Craftsman Truck Series and current driver/co-owner of RFK Racing, the 41-year-old’s influence on the sport goes beyond his achievements on the track.

Between 2007 and 2017, Brad Keselowski owned and operated BKR in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. During this decade-long stint, the team not only competed at a high level but also helped shape several successful Cup Series careers.

Keselowski has an amazing ability to identify future potential in drivers, with many of the former BKR drivers now thriving in the NASCAR Cup Series. Among them are Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Tyler Reddick, who have all found success in the sport’s premier class. Speaking about the role he played in the success of past BKR drivers, Keselowski shared:

"I’m happy for them and their success, and I try to be really careful because although I played a part in their success, I am not their success. They’ve done their own work and there’s other people that have come into their lives that have helped them be successful. I’m like one stepping stone on their journey, right? But it is great to see that it mattered, that it played out for them, and that I could be a part of it. It’s meaningful, for sure," the 41-year-old was quoted as saying on NASCAR's official website.

By the time Brad Keselowski decided to shut down BKR's operation in 2017, the team had already helped two of their drivers to win the Rookie of the Year award. Ryan Blaney won in 2013, followed by Chase Briscoe, who won in 2017.

Ryan Blaney won four races during his four years with BKR in the Truck Series in 58 race starts and finished runner-up in the championship in 2014.

---

Ryan Blaney expresses gratitude towards Brad Keselowski for giving him his first break in NASCAR

Ryan Blaney has had a lot of success in the last couple of years in the NASCAR Cup Series, winning the title in 2023 for Team Penske and finishing runner-up last year behind his teammate and title winner Joey Logano. Of the four drivers who made it into the final playoff race at Phoenix, two of them were former BK Racing drivers; Blaney and Tyler Reddick.

After winning the Xfinity 500 race in Martinsville and qualifying in the top 4, Blaney was asked to share his thoughts on the fact that two of the former BKR drivers will fight for the Cup Series title in 2024. The 31-year-old Penske driver was quick to express how grateful he was to Brad Keselowski for giving him his first shot in NASCAR.

"I think it just shows Brad’s program there. There’s been a lot of great, great drivers that have come through that. I was really fortunate to be part of it. Between myself, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Daniel Hemric, and Austin Cindric were part of that. There’s pedigree over there. BKR was amazing. I owe Brad a lot. He gave me my first chance in NASCAR with BKR and Team Penske," Blaney was quoted as saying by SpeedwayDigest.

Blaney has appreciated Keselowski since his early days at BKR. In 2014, when he was 21, Blaney was asked to name a driver children could look up to as they dreamed of racing at the highest level of Stock Car Racing. Keselowski was among his picks, which also included other greats of the sport, such as Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards.