RFK co-owner Brad Keselowski addresses allegations of NASCAR coercion in charter deal negotiations

NASCAR driver and co-owner of RFK Racing Brad Keselowski spoke about the allegations of NASCAR coercing while coming to charter agreement. The 40-year-old said that while it was important to get matters like these settled, he couldn't say he was forced.

The rumors stemmed from comments made by Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press on her personal X account, stating that teams were "coerced and threatened" to sign the agreement.

Fryer's comments come after Bob Pockrass claimed that Front Row Racing and 23XI Racing were the only two teams to not have signed the charter agreement.

Keselowski told reporters Saturday that he believes it's a stretch to say that he was coerced into signing a charter agreement, but added that's important for those matters to be taken care of.

"'Forced' is a really strong term," Keselowski said. "We are getting to a spot where it's important to get these things settled."

For Keselowski, who co-owns RFK Racing with veteran owner Jack Roush, it was right to make a deal with NASCAR and move forward. The 36-time Cup Series race winner added that he's happy to see the sport move in the right direction from an economic and media standpoint, saying:

"We're certainly glad to see the sport perpetuate," Keselowski said. "Right now, this sport lives and dies off the media rights deal. There's no getting around that. So, when the media rights deal gets done, or got done this winter, that was a big, big deal for the sport. Now, you're seeing the dominoes fall behind that, but don't forget what the first domino is."

Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports noted in the media scrum that Keselowski had been around the sport a long time and indicated that teams aren't always satisfied with NASCAR's decisions, to which he responded by saying:

"There's a lot comparisons between NASCAR and the other sports leagues," Keselowski said. "I think this industry is looking over its shoulder at the NFL and the NBA and so forth, and seeing their situation continue to dramatically improve, we all want the same. That creates an expectation or a standard that I think drives some of those negotiations."

Brad Keselowski is aiming for his second career NASCAR Cup Series title in 2024.

Brad Keselowski, the 2012 Cup Series champion, is a part of the 16-driver playoff field in 2024 after guaranteeing himself a spot in the 10-race postseason following a win at Darlington Speedway in May. It was his first win as an owner-driver and first win in 110 races dating back to Talladega in April 2021.

Brad Keselowski scored his first and only Cup championship back in 2012 driving for Team Penske, after winning five races and holding off Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson the season's final races.

Keselowski will start this year's playoffs from eighth in the standings. His RFK teammate and driver, Chris Buescher, failed to make it into the playoffs as he sits 17th in the season standings and the first driver out of the postseason.

Brad Keselowski will look to become the first owner-driver champion since Tony Stewart in 2011.