Brad Keselowski full press conference about RFK Racing release

[0:00] to understand it somebody's right behind me no oh you have quite a window if you would like it [0:07] oh perfect well i'll go ahead and get started first off uh thank you everybody for being here [0:11] it's always great marx always has a lot of media presence so that's a that's a good thing i want [0:14] to say thank you for your time appreciate you hearing me out here for a few minutes uh about [0:20] several weeks ago as most of you are aware uh rfk announced that i would not be that with the team [0:25] next year uh and since then i've been asked by a number of media members for an update on my [0:30] situation and uh today felt like the right time to give just that and what's been going on behind [0:36] the scenes specifically which way i'm leaning or uh when i might be able to make any announcements [0:41] on what i'll be doing in 2027 beyond um to date you know i've been saying uh basically that uh [0:48] when i was ready to give insights i would uh and i provide that update at a later time well this is [0:53] that time uh so before i get into that i just want to say thank you for being patient i thank you [0:59] for your interest thank you for uh all those that have reached out to me whether it be media fans or [1:04] industry with support uh it's really flattering and i want to extend kind of a sincere thank you for all [1:11] those that have cared enough for that uh so the reason for the media conference today for me is is not to [1:19] make an announcement i know it might be disappointing to a few people uh but more so just kind of an update [1:26] uh and i thought this was the appropriate time specifically because a few things have changed [1:32] some very recently uh and i did not want to do uh an announcement the weekend of the championship [1:37] race respect to what that means for the industry and the sport so this felt like the right weekend [1:44] and uh thanks for your patience waiting for that so i hope i'm going to answer a lot of your questions i [1:49] know i'm not going to get everybody's question so bear with me there'll be more time to do that [1:54] uh but now's the time that i can get you know a lot more definitive on a number of things [1:59] uh so to back up you know when i joined rfk racing which had been about five years ago now [2:05] uh you know i joined with the idea that it would be my forever home that would be where i'd finish my [2:11] career transcend into you know management and ownership uh for you know the rest of my professional [2:17] career life uh and that was really where my heart was and and it didn't play out the way that we hope [2:24] that would work out uh but there were a lot of good things that did happen um you know i would say [2:30] objectively i was able to be a part of taking this team uh you know up a level in kind of every [2:37] measurable way and i'm proud of the people that i got to work with and that we did that together with [2:43] and no matter where this goes from here that doesn't change as you guys may or may not know my [2:52] contract did uh go through the end of this season uh and we began the negotiations on extending it uh about [3:00] 11 months ago after the season was over finally 2025 uh the team and i got in some really deep [3:08] discussions uh and i think i've shared some of this with some people here in this room i wanted to keep [3:14] driving and to continue my role in the competition group uh for many years to come i felt really [3:21] strongly that my body of work uh was good and that i had what it takes to be a part of it and there was [3:30] more that i want to achieve and there still is more than i want to achieve behind the wheel and i feel like [3:35] even as recently last week at talladega uh proves that's just the case for and for not just you know [3:41] one race but for many years to come uh unfortunately what became very clear in the negotiation is my [3:48] partners saw that differently and we were not able to come to agreement i will say that the interaction i [3:56] had uh with my partners was not necessarily adversarial i'm gonna say i wasn't adversarial we just had a [4:03] difference of opinion on how we you know best viewed the the future of the company and the path forward [4:07] for the team and for myself uh as a result we reached a pretty you know strong impasse uh and [4:15] in doing so the team repeatedly assured me that as we concluded our relationship and negotiations [4:20] and decided to go our separate ways it would not they would not hold me up or strip me from continuing [4:25] my career in nascar with another cup team and promised that they would work cooperatively together with [4:30] me uh specifically around a buyout or sale of the 20 equity i own in the team very recently we came to [4:42] a verbal agreement hopefully soon a written uh to release of my restrictions that would keep me from [4:47] racing uh in the 2027 season in the cup series as a driver or as an owner and driver in the nascar [4:55] truck series i'm thankful that roush and fenway uh the rfk management team uh that we're all able to work [5:03] through a number of hurdles to achieve that that was not an easy lift it's been in the works for [5:09] at least a month now and i'm thankful for the time that we had together this is kind of the road to the [5:16] end of that time i'll say that in the time that we had together i learned a tremendous amount and [5:22] although i didn't achieve all the goals i wanted to achieve i learned enough that i feel like i'm ready [5:28] to be elite for the next opportunity that comes in front of me on all levels whether that's as a driver [5:34] owner or manager uh so a little bit about those opportunities i know that's probably the the thought [5:40] that everybody's got well i have those thoughts too there are a number of opportunities in front [5:44] of me in the cup series for 2027 and beyond uh there's no doubt about that i've had a number of [5:50] outreaches i'm not going to get into the details of what those are at this time uh but i'm eager and [5:57] willing to execute one of them and to be a part of the 2020 scene as a manager and ask our and a [6:02] driver uh and as i said before i truly believe i have what it takes to do that at the highest level [6:07] with winning races and contending for championships both as a driver and a team leader so i'm certainly [6:13] not ready to retire or walk away in any means from the sport uh so what are the next steps for me [6:20] and there's really three pivotal next steps for me um that we're working through very hard and the [6:27] first one for me is to now that i've been granted the release i can meaningfully engage in the [6:32] opportunities that exist uh i was more or less taking phone calls and unable to do much with them [6:38] until granted that release here just recently now i can engage them in a meaningful way i can also go [6:44] about the process of finding the right media and marketing partners uh to take on that challenge as [6:51] you guys know this sport relies on a marketing and partner and sponsorship relations it's hard to [6:57] achieve that when you don't have any clarity on what your your rights are so now that those are [7:01] are certain i can go do that and last but not least i will begin the process of selling my 20 [7:07] rfk equity so i will have a full release for the rest of my career to do what i want that's what's in [7:13] front of me uh right now uh for my fans the media and industry that have supported me there's a couple [7:20] things that i want you guys to know uh all the support you can give me on my entire career i'm [7:26] incredibly grateful for uh racing in the 2027 season is still not a guarantee for me although it became a [7:33] lot clearer and uh you know the path to get there is you know probably a little more invisible [7:38] recently uh to not be able to race though would be devastating to me this is my life this is what i [7:45] love to do uh you know i've worked my whole career and done all the things that uh you know you would [7:52] want to do but i'm not ready to be done i know that i have a lot of work to do to get a deal done [7:58] for 2027 given that it's so late in the year uh to land the ride uh but we're going to go to work [8:05] and now we can go uh hopefully to achieve just that the road's uh clear and it's paved in front [8:10] of us so those are my goals that's the update i have to give and with that i'll stop and pause it [8:15] open all right we will open for questions like i said i'll get to as many as i can in the time that [8:21] we have and okay i will go to jordan i'll go to james i thought he raised his hand too [8:35] he's got like this posture right he's in between several times you described it as very recently [8:42] how recently are we talking that you were able to gain your release and what did this look like [8:46] if you were not able to do so uh about an hour ago um so um very recently i would say and um you know [8:56] without a release you know certainly would be a different day purchase rfk i assume that includes [9:13] investors are those investors interested in other teams or was that it was that specific to rfk yes i [9:20] would say bob that i made a very serious offer to purchase rfk um i can't go into the specifics of [9:27] what it was um there are there's a lot of interest in this sport right now tremendous interest uh on [9:35] the ownership front and uh it's never been hotter we we didn't necessarily get there as an industry the [9:41] way i think we'd like to have got there with the you know the different lawsuits and all those things [9:45] but the closing of the the lawsuit here in the last you know 12 months has dramatically affected [9:52] the perception of the sport uh in particular in new york city and where a lot of these big investment [9:58] firms are and the sport is now viewed as uh you know an asset an ownership asset uh that you know has [10:06] certainty and it has a level of stability and the valuations have dramatically increased along with [10:14] interest um so uh you know that's not unique to my situation you know i think there's a couple [10:21] announcements that are going to come out here in the next you know a few months in a similar vein [10:27] um and and the sport's going to feel the effect of that i think in a very positive way uh shortly so [10:34] um yeah i i'm not sure if i'm fully answering your question bob but there's a lot of ownership interest [10:39] right now and does your can you now drive for any cut team of any manufacturer current or yes [10:47] coming yes all right welcome back to late series xm national radio and catch fence.com do any of the [10:58] or any of the current sponsors over at rosh fenway ones that you brought to the table and would you [11:03] have access to those um you know i have a very specific agreement with rbk that although i was [11:09] instrumental in bringing partners to the team once they were with the team they're now a team asset and will [11:13] be so thank you gsb greg you mentioned racing in 2027 obviously isn't a guarantee but what do you [11:25] want out of this next opportunity whatever that may be i want to contend for wins you know i want to be [11:30] a part of uh again contend for wins as a driver an owner an operator a manager all the above um you [11:40] know i want to be a part of seeing people be successful uh you don't want to be a part of writing [11:45] a script that is the future of the sport so they can endure hopefully for decades and generations to come [11:52] uh that's probably what i value the most i've given a big part of my life to the sport [11:58] uh and i have a love for it and it's fans and everything that makes it go and uh you know i want [12:05] to be a part of that uh that lifestyle and that that um you know privilege for many years to come [12:24] is that sort of an option b if you get a cup ride for 2027 um i would would not say option b i would not [12:32] say option a you know i i don't know if i have enough clarity on that you know i'm obviously [12:37] very interested in remaining a part of the cup series really meeting a lot of interest around [12:45] you know i i think we'll see how it plays out and what the opportunities meant themselves to be in [12:53] and go from there and brad going off of that question about the truck series is there is there [13:10] a chance that even if you don't end up racing trucks next year that we could see uh brad keselowski [13:15] racing return to that series in some capacity uh i'd say there's a strong chance with no certainty [13:22] um you know i have all the assets to to do a truck team right now and it's certainly something that [13:27] interests me uh but i'm not uh ready to commit to anything at that level so um again i'm going to [13:35] wait and see what all the opportunities present themselves to be fully you know right now they're [13:40] kind of on the peripheral and i can now engage in meaningful discussions that i couldn't before [13:45] and uh you know i think i'll weigh all those options here very shortly all right we'll come [13:52] up front to kelly and then go to zach nobody sort of come brad you um you have said for the last [14:05] couple weeks that you're very confident very optimistic about next year so i wanted to check [14:10] on how you are still feeling about that first of all yeah i you know i am confident that something's [14:14] going to work out i don't know what it is right now and so there is a level of uncertainty [14:18] for sure kelly um you know i i know that um nothing comes easy in this sport nor should it [14:29] uh and we're gonna have to grind really hard to get a deal done for me i know that and i'm committed [14:34] to doing that i don't have a deal done right now um but there are some really good opportunities but [14:39] nothing's ever done until it's done right along those same lines you acknowledge how late in the [14:44] going this is so is there a deadline to any of this like or or is this something to where with [14:49] folks knowing someone of your caliber is available that it could get done when it gets done yeah i i [14:55] think now it's kind of the this is you know what call what it is this is me signaling to the industry [15:00] you know the three action steps that i have um and uh seeing what the industry says back to me [15:07] um and and i don't know 100 how the industry is going to respond you know and hopefully positively [15:13] uh but uh you know it's a very fluid sport and things can change very quickly and today's truths [15:21] are yesterday uh yesterday's fiction so um that's what always makes it so hard i think when we [15:27] talk to a lot of media members is somebody will ask us a question are you going to do x you're like [15:31] no but maybe a day from now a circumstance will change where x will be the truth right or the [15:37] best opportunity that we do and it's not that you know we're trying to mislead you or anything of [15:42] that nature just circumstances change so rapidly um so you know that said uh you know one of the [15:50] things that is really appealing to me is and i i think to the market is given the limited [15:56] eligibility for next year's clash and all-star race clearly i'm one of the drivers that is eligible [16:01] for those two events uh so that's exciting uh there are some different circumstances in the cup series [16:08] garage that you know some people do or don't know about that you know have yet to work out and i could [16:14] see a scenario that doesn't develop till literally february of 27 um hopefully we'll have answers before [16:20] then but i don't want to make any promises i can't bring you on asco.com brett does ownership or [16:31] management need to be a part of your immediate next step or would you consider driving for a cup [16:36] series team for 27 that doesn't offer that um in the immediate plan uh i would say it does not have [16:42] to be no um you know that's not like a prerequisite and i certainly don't want to limit the opportunities [16:47] to if i don't own the team or control the different aspects i wouldn't do it uh but i would say that [16:54] um it is something i do value keep the athletic you feel that rfk treated you fairly professionally [17:10] throughout the this process and particularly the last two months well i'm glad that we got the deal [17:15] done that we got done here very recently um i i think that was uh that was not a uh use my golf pun [17:25] but that was not a short putt it was a long putt um we certainly had our differences along the way on a [17:30] number of topics uh reasonable people can disagree on things um you know i don't really want to get [17:38] into the the different dynamics of fair or unfair um it was a journey i learned a lot along the way [17:46] i'm better for it uh without a doubt i didn't achieve all the things i wanted to achieve and uh you know [17:52] i'm willing to admit that but uh you know i think the the journey i understand that there's a lot of [18:02] people and i and i hear it in a lot of fan sentiment uh when i have different events with fans or even [18:08] through social media you know brad you you left rfk or left penske to go with rfk and you know then [18:15] penske went on and won three championships and clearly is a great team you know you could have stayed [18:22] there and done that uh and there and people are right i could have stayed there and done that and [18:26] and not done this thing here with rk over the last you know five years um ultimately i even though [18:33] you know it's coming to an end it didn't play out exactly the way i wanted it to i'm not really [18:38] looking back at that with a regret and specifically i got to try and be a part of something uh where i [18:47] got to see other people be successful where i grew myself and did it probably cost me some wins yeah [18:54] it probably did yeah i maybe cost me a shot at another championship we can probably argue that one [19:00] either way um but i grew as a person i got to be a part of seeing other people grow and i'm going to [19:07] take that with me for the rest of my life and for the opportunities to come in the future and i'm [19:11] really thankful you mentioned the clash and being eligible for that also daytona 500 that's a race [19:16] you've not won before so knowing that is the door completely closed on you doing either of those races [19:24] for rfk uh what i i'm really careful not to speak for other people including rfk but from your [19:31] perspective though and from my perspective uh you know no doors close um but i i can't speak from yeah [19:40] you mentioned that you got your release an hour ago this press conference was scheduled longer than [19:50] an hour ago um do you think that this press conference being scheduled today had anything to [19:55] do or how much did it have to do with this deal uh coming to fruition for you um you know i don't [20:01] want to speak for other people um you know clearly i was going to have this press conference regardless [20:08] i would the topic have been different uh without the release probably yes it would have uh but i'm [20:15] thankful that this is the topic and that we're uh you know forging back forward all right five years ago [20:27] the storyline is is that here's a michigan kid going to help jack roush a michigan guy revive his team [20:34] help them get back to the glory you get it part of the way there so how how in the world do you get [20:42] to this point like how like it seemed like things are going well so how how do you get to this point [20:50] well you know i can't necessarily answer for other people um i can only answer for myself and you know [20:56] my partners make the decision they go to def williams here brad you said that due to the uh settlement of [21:18] the antitrust suit the lawsuit there's been a lot of interest now about ownership do you see that [21:24] interest in sponsorship as well yeah i would say nascar as a property is um you know went through [21:32] just to be transparent went through a a downturn here you know the last eight ten years and uh it's [21:39] having a good moment right now you know there's always a metric you can point to that's unfavorable [21:49] whether that's an attendance or a tv viewership metric but there are a lot of very favorable [21:56] metrics inside the garage area um and one of those is is clearly the team ownership model it has a [22:03] level of sustainability it didn't have before uh it doesn't mean it's necessarily profitable but it's [22:09] sustainable and that's that's a win uh on the partnership level um you know very specifically [22:17] uh a number of things have happened that i think are positive to nascar as a space for sports [22:23] as a whole space as you know you continue to see uh kind of the fragmentation of the media model [22:29] outside of live sports uh live sports have kind of turned into this last bastion of um you know [22:37] advertising outside of buying an ad on facebook or google um and i think uh you know a lot of fortune [22:46] 500 companies are a lot of companies that are marketing and have the wherewithal to be [22:50] involved in nascar are you know starting to have fatigue over the googles and the facebooks and [22:55] and so forth so uh you know that that brings them to live sports in a way to tell their story that's [23:01] you know unique uh and and those two things as a whole are driving a uh you know a success story [23:09] in nascar uh and a narrative that uh you know i think is different than what it was 10 years ago [23:23] brad just to piggyback off of what jeff said um you mentioned that this came together verbally about [23:29] an hour ago the release the top of your release do you have full confidence that what you discuss [23:35] verbally will be what kind of makes it on paper once you guys yeah i mean i i think both sides have [23:43] enough integrity to make sure that's the case and i wouldn't be here yes um do you come in here now [23:57] feeling more settled more optimistic or is your world right now uh you know i feel like i control [24:05] my own destiny and there's a lot of power in that um being able to control your own destiny [24:12] you know it's kind of you hear in other sports give me the ball coach and that's that's where i am at a [24:18] professional level right now i now have the ball and you know if i fumble it it's on me and if i score [24:23] with it it's on me but i have the ball so you know i think there's there's a great sense of relief from [24:28] that um but to your point there's a pressure with that too i think you gotta build we have to go [24:34] deliver on several fronts and you know that that's that burden's on us right now we're going to come [24:43] up right here in your previous relationship with dodge do you have interest in helping them build [24:53] their club program since you were their last champion i would say everything's on the table [24:59] you know i have not had a meaningful discussion with dodge or ram [25:04] um i'm certainly very open-minded to it alongside all of the oems you know i i haven't given up on a [25:17] relationship with ford in the future as well um along with the other two oems of chevrolet and [25:24] toyota everything's on the table right now for me would there not be built-in i think at one point [25:29] hansworth said that if a new oem came in that there would be charters that came along with that program [25:35] that would kind of like be a built-in bonus for you uh yeah there is some you know whether that's [25:43] true or not speculation around uh some of those charters becoming available um i have not had that [25:50] conversation with anyone if it did come to fruition i'd be very interested in participating [25:56] but i don't know how real that is all right we're gonna go back to jordan and then to dustin [26:03] back yeah like you mentioned the partners everything at rfk obviously a lot of them are [26:11] there because of you made recognition your past success everything and i think it's fair to say [26:15] that you were the star at rfk how are the partners that are there because of you feel that now that [26:21] you're leaving well i haven't had any discussions uh with the partners um just to be transparent and uh [26:29] you know i have in my agreement that uh you know i i won't take any of the partners with me [26:33] um and so uh i i don't want to speculate how they feel about something good bad or indifference [26:42] uh but i'm proud that they're there you know one of the things i'm most proud of [26:48] uh in our entire in my entire rfk experience is in the five years i was there the team doubled in [26:56] valued and doubled in sponsorship i don't think that was a coincidence i don't think that just happened [27:02] i think that i was a big part of that and i'd like to think that i'll bring that same opportunity [27:08] into the next team i go to dustin long usa sports um brad maybe you use a different word but certainly [27:17] stubbornness in a person can be a great quality because it can help them drive and do things that [27:22] other people don't see that on the on the opposite side though stubbornness is something that can [27:28] lead to downfalls or separate things apart how do you feel if you use the word stubbornness do you feel [27:35] it your stubbornness has put you into this position and how do you convince the next person the next [27:43] team that you can be you can deliver this next thing for their offer for their operation without [27:51] you know three years four five years later having to separate because of the stubbornness issue well [27:57] stubbornness is a very um it's a word full of ambiguity um you know and the ambiguity behind it is what's [28:06] what stubbornness is good what stubbornness is bad i would argue stubbornness is one of the most [28:10] important things that you can have in a person you know when you have somebody who has morals and [28:13] integrities you want them to be stubborn about them um you know you look at even our countries [28:19] the united states constitution it's a stubborn thing i think it's a good stubborn thing uh that said not [28:25] every part of stubbornness is good and you know there are other things that new ways of learning and [28:31] things that you need to adapt over time that stubbornness generally does not favor so i i think stubbornness [28:37] um you have to pick your battles of when to be stubborn and when not to be um i'm certain there's [28:44] times in my life where i haven't chose those well i think the body of work as a whole i have or would [28:49] be where i'm at um i don't feel like the story of rfk and my participation really comes down to an [29:01] argument over stubbornness but that's my opinion um um a passive investor i think is the best way to [29:32] articulate that i think that's towards today uh brad obviously you mentioned still analyzing [29:50] chester been anything that surprised you um yeah the biggest surprise to me was how much interest [30:00] there is in team ownership right now significant interest and it's uh it's really blown up over the [30:07] last few months and overall chris and ryan over the years have talked about obviously their praise for [30:15] you i'm just wondering is your plans in the future continue to be an asset for them as they continue [30:20] to grow as race car drivers and have you shared a message with them during this process uh what first [30:26] of all i have a tremendous amount of respect for ryan chris both of those guys are stand-up guys and [30:32] phenomenal race car drivers i feel incredibly fortunate to have those guys as teammates and [30:42] as a part of rfk's racing story they're going to do well for years to come their attitude and work ethic [30:52] is underappreciated in my opinion by a lot of people and their success is is not a surprise to me [31:01] i feel grateful and thankful i got to work with them and help them realize their potential be clear that [31:09] they've done the work and they deserve the credit um as far as my future of those two goes as a [31:17] passive investor by the very definition there really isn't one uh but i clearly will always be rooting [31:24] and cheering for their success you had a question and i'm going to plug and end with that very much [31:39] brad you touched on this um but you know there are drivers that choose to exclusively want to drive [31:46] the car they don't necessarily want to take on the partnership ownership role and drive what appeals [31:52] to you in that role and how do you deal with the stresses of balancing those two roles i love it i don't [31:59] do it i guess is more stress well i just um i like having my hands in that love being a part of it love [32:07] being part of the success story you know in particular what i've really loved as an owner and you know the [32:12] the role of the management that i've had over the last few years is knowing that we had three chances [32:18] to win every weekend you know we're in your dress driver going one chance to win i love the idea that [32:23] i had three chances to win at the cup low every weekend that was pretty darn cool um and i find that [32:29] incredibly rewarding i find other people's success sometimes more rewarding than my own um and maybe [32:36] that's something to be studied one day by somebody smarter than me uh but i do enjoy that you know it's [32:42] it's it's different you know being a being a driver is is a lot of fun there's some great aspects of it [32:52] uh there are points in time particularly at this level where it's incredibly frustrating as well [32:57] and um i i kind of would draw some kind of akin to it like having children it's the same feeling [33:04] when you're an owner and manager you know good days are you're so proud of them and you know you get [33:10] to see them grow and do things like wow like you know that's that's my kid you know the bad days are [33:17] you know you want to pull your hair out screaming and uh what am i done with my life uh but there's [33:24] more good days than bad days and there's a pride that comes from it that's hard to describe uh that's [33:30] how i felt about it or have felt about it thank you right you talked about the ball coach to put the [33:40] ball in your hands uh stage one at talladega last weekend i mean you um i knew real quick to share some [33:46] credit for that but how much of that was a final blaze of glory or just uh well i mean we're still [33:53] giving our all i mean look there's two races left in the season i would like to think my effort level [33:59] for the season is the same as if i was coming back next year or not um living in my own skin sometimes [34:08] i can't see that the same way uh as someone from outside can but uh you know i i don't think that our [34:14] move at telladay had anything to do with you know whether i'm returning or not next year um i will [34:20] say it had a lot to do with you know a team of people that uh was willing to make a move that was [34:28] different and the culture that comes within that to not be afraid of the consequences if it didn't succeed [34:37] and uh you know i appreciate the the gutsiness to do that uh it didn't happen just as a you know [34:46] complete accident there were a lot of really smart people studying a lot of data and analyzing a [34:51] situation in real time and then having the guts to make a call um i saw some of the social media [34:58] commentary about it which is like oh all you guys did is decide to go fast well yes but there was a [35:03] lot more that went into it than that and um i i know that and i think that people all right brad [35:12] i appreciate your time thank you everybody best of luck this weekend have a great day