Brad Keselowski has never been one to hold back, and in a recent chat with Jeff Gluck of The New York Times, he laid out three bold ideas to shake up the future of NASCAR. For him, the sport has huge potential, but only if it’s willing to break from tradition in the right ways.
From struggling racetrack economics to a controversial playoff system and the hunt for new car makers, Brad Keselowski didn’t mince words. Here’s what he had to say.
Brad Keselowski on Struggling Racetrack Revenue
Keselowski’s first point hits right at the heart of NASCAR’s infrastructure: the tracks themselves.
“There’s a big three here,” he said. “The first one is the tracks, in general, need to find more ways to generate revenue outside of NASCAR. A lot of these tracks you go to, if you come to them on a Tuesday, three weeks before or after the race, there’s like three people that work there. There’s nobody around.”
And he’s not wrong. Many speedways sit almost completely idle outside race weekends, making it tough to raise enough capital for upgrades or fan perks. As Keselowski explained, “The tracks aren’t able to raise enough capital to invest in the fan experience, or they’re significantly subsidized out of the media rights (TV deal) to make their business sustainable.”
That lack of revenue creates a ripple effect: without enough cash flow, tracks can’t deliver the same fan experience other sports do, and that, in turn, limits what teams can earn.
“It creates a series of dominoes downstream, whether it be the fan experience that doesn’t rival other sports or draining cash flow that potentially could be coming to the teams and enabling things like testing,” he noted.
Keselowski on Why the Playoff Format Hurts the Sport
His second target? NASCAR’s playoff system. Keselowski didn’t sugarcoat it: he wants it gone.
“The whole playoff thing has to go away,” he said. “The nuance of having 10 races that are more important than 20-some others is very unhealthy for the sport.”
In his view, this format cheapens the rest of the schedule and makes it harder to build excitement across the full season. “It’s demeaning to the other tracks and races,” he added. “And unfortunately, those 10 races that are supposed to mean more are in direct competition with other sports. It muddies the water. It’s not working for the sport. Those two would be 1A and 1B.”
For longtime fans who value tradition, it’s easy to see his point, the drama of a full-season championship has been replaced by a sprint-style playoff that sometimes feels disconnected from the grind of the rest of the year.
Brad Keselowski on Bringing in New Manufacturers
Finally, Keselowski sees new OEMs, that’s Original Equipment Manufacturers, as a vital part of NASCAR’s future.
“I’d look at new OEMs as very important, a high tide that raises all ships,” he said. “They’ll invest in the teams while concurrently investing in the tracks.”
In short, more manufacturers mean more money, more competition, and more innovation. And in a sport where funding shapes everything from technology to talent, that could be the boost NASCAR desperately needs.
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