Brad Keselowski is leaving RFK Racing. The 2012 Cup Series champion will not drive for the team he co-owns after the 2026 season, and he will likely give up his ownership stake as well. The split, announced Tuesday morning, ends one of the most ambitious driver-owner experiments in modern NASCAR history.
Keselowski, 42, joined Roush Fenway Racing as a co-owner in 2021, with the team rebranding to RFK Racing ahead of the 2022 season. He took on the dual role of driver and competition chief, tasked with modernizing a team that had fallen behind NASCAR’s elite organizations. Five seasons later, the partnership is over.
Here’s what we know about the split and what comes next.
The Announcement That Shocked the Garage
RFK Racing confirmed the news in a press release Tuesday morning, stating that Keselowski will conclude his tenure as driver of the No. 6 Ford Mustang following the 2026 season. The team framed it as a mutual decision.
“We are big fans of Brad as a person, driver, and colleague,” said Chip Bowers, President of RFK Racing. “The impact Brad has made on our organization has been felt by everyone associated with RFK Racing.”
Keselowski issued his own statement, making one thing crystal clear: he is not retiring.
“I’m nowhere near ready to be done as a driver. I still have a lot I want to accomplish in this sport, and I’m looking forward to what comes next,” he said.
The Disagreements Behind the Split
According to sources briefed on the matter, the split came after disagreements between Keselowski and the Fenway Sports Group over the direction of the team. Keselowski invested in RFK specifically to have more say over competition decisions and team operations. When those visions diverged, the partnership became untenable.
The team stated that Keselowski and RFK “intend to collaboratively and mutually work through the appropriate next steps regarding his existing ownership interest in the organization.” In plain terms, they’re negotiating his exit as an owner.
A Tenure Defined by Promise, Not Results
Keselowski’s time at RFK was supposed to be a renaissance. He brought championship pedigree and a modernizing vision to a team that had struggled for years.
The results never fully materialized. In 174 starts with RFK, Keselowski managed just one victory, the 2024 Goodyear 400 at Darlington. He posted 25 top-fives and 55 top-10s, but the consistent, high-level success the team sought never came. Meanwhile, his teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece both made the playoffs this season while Keselowski missed the cut.
RFK did improve from where it was before his arrival. The team secured seven victories in the five seasons since Keselowski joined the ownership group. But it never became the Ford powerhouse that Team Penske remains.
What’s Next for Keselowski?
Keselowski says he wants to keep driving. The problem is that nearly every competitive Cup Series seat for 2027 is already filled.
He has 36 career Cup wins, 34 of which came during his tenure at Team Penske from 2010 to 2021. He’s one of the most decorated active drivers in the sport, with a championship and victories in the Brickyard 400, Southern 500, and Coca-Cola 600.
Where he lands remains a mystery. Sources indicated he will likely continue racing “in some capacity” with a different organization. Keselowski himself said he looks “forward to sharing future plans when the time is right.”
What Happens to RFK Racing?
RFK will move forward without its namesake driver. The team remains committed to operating as a three-car organization in 2027, with Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece already confirmed to return.
The organization will need to find a new driver for the No. 6 car and a new head of competition to replace Keselowski. The search for the latter will begin immediately.
The bigger challenge is the charter situation. RFK is losing the leased charter it used for Preece’s No. 60 car, leaving it with only two charters for three drivers. The team says it remains committed to pursuing a third charter, but acquiring one will cost tens of millions of dollars.
The Bottom Line
Brad Keselowski bet on himself and RFK Racing five years ago. He bet that he could do what few drivers have ever done: build a team into a contender while still competing at the highest level. It didn’t work. The wins didn’t come often enough, the vision clashed with ownership, and now the partnership is ending.
Keselowski will finish the 2026 season in the No. 6 car. After that, he’ll be looking for a new ride, and RFK will be looking for a new identity. For a driver who has accomplished nearly everything in the sport, the next chapter is uncertain. For a team named after him, the future just got a lot more complicated.
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