“We need to capitalize on that”

Following Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Brad Keselowski reflected on his and the Ford camp’s much-needed run amid Toyota’s dominant 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

After rolling off 23rd on the grid for the first Cup Series points-paying race at Wilkesboro in 30 years, Keselowski carved his way through the field to bring the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford Mustang home in 7th place. After enduring a brutal two-month summer slump that saw him drop completely out of the top 10 in the standings, the veteran owner-driver views his performance as the crucial turning point needed to rescue his 2026 playoff ambitions.

In his post-race comments, Keselowski said (via NBC Sports):

“We just executed really well. The car was not the fastest, but we didn’t beat ourselves. We had good strategy by Jeremy Bullins and solid stops… We’re gonna have to earn (a spot in the Chase). We had a really difficult two-month stretch, where we dropped from in the top 10 in points to 19th, and we need to rebound from that.”

With the win-and-you’re-in format eliminated this season, Brad Keselowski cannot rely on a lucky superspeedway win to bail him out. He needs raw, consistent points extraction over the final regular-season stretch to make “The Chase” postseason cutoff.

“Days like today give us hope that we can do that. The short tracks and superspeedways are the best chances for the Fords, and we need to capitalize on that for sure. That doesn’t mean we’re gonna throw away the other races, we still have to make the most of those too, added Brad Keselowski.

Meanwhile, Team Penske star Joey Logano took the checkered flag and became the second Ford driver this season to win a race, after Ryan Blaney.

Brad Keselowski crowns Ryan Blaney as Ford’s undisputed benchmark

Speaking on the shifting hierarchy among the Blue Oval fleet, the RFK Racing owner-driver delivered a candid assessment of where his team stands relative to their manufacturer peers.

In a media interaction ahead of the North Wilkesboro race, Keselowski said:

“Well, if you took Ryan Blaney outside of the Ford camp, I’d argue we’re the best Fords. But Ryan Blaney is part of the Ford camp, and he’s earned a spot at the top of the totem pole and so our job out there is to compete.”

Through the first 20 races of the season, Blaney has been the solitary bright spot leading the Ford banner, until Logano’s win this Sunday. However, the primary difference between Blaney’s No. 12 team and Brad Keselowski’s stable is of execution.

While Blaney consistently stacks stage points and cleans up on race day, RFK Racing has been plagued by mid-race incidents, pit-road mistakes, and mechanical issues that have left crucial points on the table.