Brad Keselowski fights back to climb inside top-20 at EchoPark Speedway
Brad Keselowski clawed back from a lap down to salvage a 26th-place finish at EchoPark Speedway on July 12, 2026, as rain and balance issues derailed his night in the No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang.
A three-hour, nine-minute rain delay turned Sunday’s 400-mile Cup race into a three-stage chess match at the 1.5-mile quad oval. Chris Buescher led the RFK Racing charge, grinding out a 10th-place finish after starting 13th. Ryan Preece climbed to 24th from 19th, while Keselowski recovered from early damage to finish 26th after restarting a lap down.
The No. 17 Ford Mustang dialed in its balance late, and Buescher’s crew executed two late-race two-tire stops to steal track position as the race tightened up. Preece’s No. 60 Solomon Plumbing Ford Mustang clawed back during the break, too, but neither car could match the top-five pace.
Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford Mustang struggled all night. A lengthy rain delay gave his team time to regroup, and Keselowski’s crew made the right calls when green flags flew again. Those adjustments allowed him to erase a lap deficit and bank stage points in Stage Three.
“Not the day we wanted,” Keselowski said. “Just struggled all day. We tried to get better. We made a little bit of progress but not enough.”
His 26th-place run leaves him 19th in the Cup points standings, six spots behind teammate Preece and 12 behind Buescher.
Buescher’s top-10 finish keeps RFK Racing’s No. 17 in the hunt for a playoff spot. Preece’s 24th-place run salvaged a solid effort after a poor start, while Keselowski’s recovery showed resilience despite persistent balance woes.
The three RFK drivers combined to log 10 laps led across the stages, with Buescher’s 21 laps in Stage One the highlight. Their ability to adapt during the weather break kept them in contention longer than their starting spots suggested.
The Cup Series rolls into North Wilkesboro Speedway on July 19, 2026, for a .625-mile race under the lights. Coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. EDT on TNT and the Performance Racing Network.
Keselowski and RFK will look to carry the momentum from EchoPark into a short-track battle where strategy and execution often decide races. With Buescher already in the top 10, the team’s focus shifts to locking in playoff spots before the summer swing wraps up.