Brad Keselowski turned Iowa Speedway into RFK Racing’s showcase on Sunday, delivering one of the team’s strongest performances of the season. Keselowski dominated early, sweeping both stages and leading a hefty chunk of the 350-lap event. And for RFK as a whole, the strong run paid off along with teammate Ryan Preece’s P5 result.
Although Brad’s fuel strategy ultimately left him just short of victory, the bigger takeaway was clear: RFK Racing is building serious momentum. And it’s a momentum Brad himself recognizes, as he makes a bold claim for the remaining races of the regular season.
“I love the position we were in,” says Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski’s afternoon at Iowa Speedway was nothing short of a statement drive. The No. 6 Ford Mustang rolled off the grid in fifth. Keselowski wasted no time carving through the top. By the end of stage one, he had surged to the front, seizing control of the race and ultimately winning the opening stage. Stage two was much of the same: smart pit calls, quick work by the RFK crew, and Brad’s sharp restarts kept him firmly in the mix as he swept both the opening stages, looking every bit like the driver to beat.
A Keselowski victory almost materialized on Sunday. The 2012 Cup Series champion dominated large portions of the event, controlling the pace and staying ahead of late-race chaos in the end. His bid for the checkered flag fell short as William Byron stretched his fuel a remarkable 144 laps to snatch his first win since the Daytona 500 this year. Brad had to settle for a third, still his best finish of the year and a performance that showed RFK Racing’s growing strength.
Speaking in a post-race interview, Keselowski was disappointed with no win, but he also declared that he had his eyes set on the next races. He went on to say, “I mean, yeah, we had an opportunity today, but yeah, it’s disappointing to not be able to get the win, but we put ourselves in position and we can’t control what we can’t control, and we need to focus on what we can. And we couldn’t control all the yellows that shifted the dynamics of the race today away from us. So it’s unfortunate, but I love the position we were in and the speed that we had.”
But one point came late in stage two, when strategies split the field. William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott dove to pit road during a green flag cycle, while Brad stayed out, betting on a caution. That gamble paid off on lap 171, when Shane Van Gisbergen spun and triggered a yellow. The drivers who had already pitted were trapped a lap down, and Brad found himself in the catbird seat, restarting ahead of several top contenders as the strategy pendulum swung his way.
And it was this momentum that led Brad Keselowski to drop his verdict on the closing races of the postseason. He said, “I just feel like we can win any of these next three races, and that’s a good feeling. Can’t take anything for granted. Ultimately, we need to get wins, and I think we all know that.”
“I just feel like we can win any of these next three races, and that’s a good feeling.”@keselowski places third at Iowa. #NASCAR
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— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) August 4, 2025
But Keselowski’s advantage didn’t last forever. After SVG’s spin, the race turned chaotic with 12 questions flying between laps 181 and 282. Each yellow reshuffles strategies, restarts positions, and fuels windows, setting the stage for William Byron’s bold gamble. He used the free pass from that initial SVG caution to regain track position and then took the ultimate risk, stretching his fuel well beyond expectations, to steal the win.
For Keselowski, the Iowa run was still another sign of momentum building at RFK Racing. Earlier this year, he was mired outside the top 30 in points, struggling to find consistency. But with four straight finishes of 11th or better, including Sunday’s podium, he has clawed his way up to 21st in the standings. The points gap remains, but the performance gap? That’s closing fast. Moreover, his teammate, Ryan Preece, has also found his footing in this race, and RFK Racing is looking formidable with their go-all-in approach.
Ryan Preece takes advantage of RFK momentum to finish in the top 5 at Iowa
Ryan Preece still hasn’t claimed a Cup Series victory, but his steady climb in performance continues to justify RFK Racing’s faith in him. At Iowa Speedway, he secured a fifth-place finish, doubling his previous career best for top 10 results in a season. The Connecticut native, who once scored his first Xfinity win at this very track, battled through a messy start and a string of challenges to notch his second straight top five and third of the year, giving RFK another reason to feel confident about the No. 60 Ford Mustang.
The race began far from smooth. Preece rolled off 33rd and only clawed his way to 30th by the end of stage 1. Things got worse when he was slapped with a speeding penalty during the stage break, caused by a dashboard light issue. But he stayed composed and shifted momentum in stage 2, running along during green flag pit cycles and benefiting from a timely caution. That strategic call allowed him to pit from 14th while others scrambled to regain track position, and he finished the stage in ninth, adding two valuable points to his tally.
In the final stage, Ryan’s race became even more eventful. He narrowly dodged a pair of spinning cars after a mistake by Chase Briscoe and wrestled with an ongoing radio problem that hampered communication. Despite these hurdles, his persistence paid off as he climbed into the top five and held his ground in the closing laps, ultimately finishing two spots behind team co-owner Brad Keselowski. The result marked the second straight race where both RFK drivers placed inside the top five, a feat the team hadn’t managed in back-to-back events since 2012.
For Preece, the day was another step in a breakout season. When talking about the race, William Byron and runner-up Chase Briscoe, and eventually contending for the win, Ryan said, “ It seemed we could close in on the 19 and the 24 a little bit and then I just got loose. When Brad was catching me, I thought, ‘What is the best thing to do for a teammate and for the company?’ And wanted to give him the opportunity, even if it was at a deficit for us.” His 10th top 10 of the year moved him to within 23 points of the playoff cut line, trailing teammate Chris Buescher for the final spot. While the wind still eludes him, Ryan’s consistency is beginning to make him a serious factor in the playoff conversation.
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