NASCAR Team Owner DENIES Speculation of Switch to Dodge
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series team owner and driver Brad Keselowski recently addressed fan speculation that his team, RFK Racing, could…
RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski called on the team’s manufacturer, Ford, to expand its support of inter-team collaboration, citing Toyota’s success with both 23XI Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing in 2026.
Last week was awkward for RFK Racing and Ford, as fans speculated on a future relationship between the long-time Ford team and Dodge, given an upcoming collaboration between Roush Performance and Ram.
At the time, RFK owner/driver Brad Keselowski took to his social media to address the matter, reaffirming that RFK has a long-term commitment to Ford.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Cup Series team owner and driver Brad Keselowski recently addressed fan speculation that his team, RFK Racing, could…
This is important, given RFK co-owner and founder Jack Roush’s role in Ford’s NASCAR operations through engine manufacturer Roush Yates Engines, which makes all Ford NASCAR engines.
Still, fan theories have tied RFK to Dodge since last season, and while these theories are all debunked, Ford’s on-track struggles are evident as the Cup Series crosses the halfway point in 2026.
So far, the brand has just four drivers above the 16-driver Chase cutline, with RFK’s three full-time cars outpacing two of the three full-time Team Penske cars throughout the season.
This may come as a shock, as most fans consider Penske to be the best Ford team in the Cup Series.
The win column also creates a bleak picture for Ford, as they have just one win in the Cup Series points races this season.
In comparison, all but one of Toyota’s seven cars from its top two teams, 23XI Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, are comfortably above the cutline entering this weekend’s race at Chicagoland Speedway.
This comparison is not missed on Keselowski, who, prior to this weekend’s race at Chicagoland, told the media he would like to see Ford encourage teams to collaborate, specifically in a similar way that 23XI and JGR do.
Keselowski said that Ford needs to find that same level of collaboration, as races are now won in the “board room” as opposed to in the shop, a change that has happened over the past few seasons in the Next Gen era.
“The OEMs all, either consciously or subconsciously, decided who their favorite was because they had to or thought they had to,” Keselowski said. “And I think you’ve seen that now within the last six, seven, seasons have played out where it’s the top organization at OEM.”
From his perspective, 23XI and JGR are the best examples of an OEM finding a balance with two “top” organizations.
“If you’re going to beat Toyota, you need to have at least two elite organizations collaborating at very, very high levels and sharing the elite resources that are specific to the OEM. At this time, only Toyota does that.” — Brad Keselowski
Though he wants to see the Ford team step up together, that doesn’t mean that Keselowski is hopeful for RFK’s continued success with or without a collaborative effort in the Ford teams.
“We have three teams that are in a position that I’m proud of,” Keselowski said. “Are we winning races every week? No. We only had one win this season on a non-points-paying race with the Clash. But we continue to show that we have, I think, the organization to push to that next level.”
Of course, the example of 23XI and JGR is somewhat moot, as 23XI pays JGR for their technical alliance, as opposed to it being one built around the Toyota brand.
Still, Ford teams do seem to be behind the Toyotas and Chevrolets, a sharp turn from their early dominance in the Next Gen era.
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