LOUDON, N.H. — NASCAR Cup Series hits New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend with three different races taking place on the Magic Mile.
Along with racing at the famous New England track, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK) co-owner Brad Keselowski has brought a piece of Boston with him on his car and racing suit.
Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford Mustang will feature a paint scheme showcasing the team’s ties to the Red Sox and BuildSubmarines.com.
“It’s an interesting opportunity that is only provided because of the relationship with Fenway (Sports Group),” Keselowski told NESN.com. “It’s a great opportunity to kind of cross-pollinate the different sports organizations, which I think is fun, whether it be through the partners or through the library on the car. We’d like to think that we can make one plus one equal three that way.”
As part owner of the racing team, Keselowski does have different opportunities that other drivers may not have at their disposal.
“I think it’s always wise to build a runway, and every once in a while, I get to talk to other professional sports players, whether it be NFL, MLB, hockey, basketball,” Keselowski said. “And one of the concepts that comes up is in those sports a four-year career is a good career in the majors. You got a lot of life left after those four years. So, certainly need to be conscientious of whatever the next steps are gonna be.”
Due to the rain at the track on Saturday, NASCAR canceled qualifying for the USA Today 301. Based on drivers’ standings, Keselowski will start ninth in the field of 36 cars.
Mother Nature is expected to continue to disrupt the racing this weekend, but it looks like the weather will cooperate on Sunday afternoon. Temperatures are expected to hit the high 70s or low 80s, which should make for pretty comfortable racing conditions.
“When it’s cooler out, it’s certainly a lot nicer inside the car,” Keselowski said of the race being in June instead of July this NASCAR season. “But beyond that, the cars just have more pace. You’re able to hustle a little harder and just a little bit different style of racing with the way that the tires grip and so forth.”
Keselowski has two wins at NHMS in 2014 and 2020. Along with the two checkered flags, Keselowski also has eight Top 5 finishes and five Top 10s. He won his first race of the season at Darlington Raceway on Mother’s Day, earning his spot in the playoffs with nine races remaining in the regular season.
