Brad Keselowski explains challenges of racing in extreme heat
In the Cook Out 400, drivers like Brad Keselowski had to not only worry about racing the field but dealing with the extreme heat inside the cars. Temperatures in the NASCAR Next Gen cars reached upward of 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Keselowski talked about the difficulties that you face when the car gets hot, and how drivers deal with it.
The NBC broadcast did a great job of showing just how hot it was inside the cars. They followed along with Denny Hamlin throughout the race and it was shocking just how high the temperatures rose.
Of course, it wasn’t just Hamlin that dealt with the heat. Brad Keselowski was asked after the race how he dealt with the challenge of the high temperatures. Cool suits help, but a lot of it is on the driver.
“Yeah, I don’t know what you would compare to that. Driving a race car is a very unique environment. The conditions today were certainly hot.
“It ended up being more forgiving than we thought it would be coming into the weekend. We thought it was going to be a challenging race, hundred-degree temps. We got a reprieve, 88, or 89 today. A lot cooler, right?” Keselowski said, smiling.
“Driving a race car isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to be challenging. That’s what separates the great from the average or the good from the average and everything in between. There’s, of course, limits to everything. The physical duress that it takes to drive a race car and the mental challenge that goes with it, the combination there together I think is what makes winning so special because it’s certainly not handed to you.”
Brad Keselowski couldn’t get his No. 6 in victory lane, but his driver and teammate Chris Buescher claimed the checkered flag. A big day for RFK Racing as a whole.
Brad Keselowski gets another win as team owner
While the No. 6 came in P6, Keselowski was able to lead laps at Richmond. He definitely showed that he had speed and could be a threat to grab a win at any moment. The thing about the RFK drivers, they aren’t flashy. But they can be consistent.
In the last month, Brad Keselowski has two sixth-place finishes and a fifth-place finish. On the season, he only has two DNFs, his last coming at COTA. It is no wonder why Keselowski remains comfortably in the playoff picture on points alone.
Michigan is going to be a race that Keselowski has circled. It is his home race and he wants to get that checkered flag any way that he can. He has never won at Michigan, and it would be very fitting if he were to break his winless streak with a career first at the track.
Brad Keselowski did just fine with the head this weekend. We will have to wait and see how he finishes the year with the final month of the regular season just ahead.