Brad Keselowski ends 3-year drought with victory at Darlington

We had to go back to April 25, 2021 at Talladega to find any trace of a victory for Keselowski, within Team Penske. Since then, the American has left the fold of Roger Penske to become driver-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. If Chris Buescher has won twice in 2023, it's finally the boss's turn to return to Victory Lane!

“What an incredible day”, declared Keselowski after his success, the 36th of his career. “It’s Darlington, so whether it’s your first win or your last, it’s a really special track that’s part of the history of the NASCAR. It's as tough as it gets, and that battle at the end with my teammate and Tyler Reddick, we gave it our all at the line, it was really awesome. »

The battle in question will have animated the end of the race, Buescher (RFK) and Reddick (23XI) exchanging the lead on numerous occasions. The driver of the No. 17 Ford also made an incredible three-across overtake on his teammate Keselowski and Reddick with 20 laps to go. In the end, the fight between the two young guns turned bad with contact in turn 4, which caused damage to both cars. Keselowski therefore took the opportunity to overtake them and win.

Buscher went directly to confront Reddick in the pit lane after the event, explaining in particular his frustration, having not yet won a race this season, and therefore not having guaranteed his place in the play-offs. He came within a thousandth of victory last week in Kansas, in the closest finish in the history of the championship.

A “Throwback Weekend” as popular as ever

Brad Keselowski won with the colors of Toyota TOM'S Super GT from the 90s, during a very special weekend for NASCAR. It is in fact in Darlington every year that the “Throwback Weekend” is organized, a tribute to the history of motorsport, and mainly stock car of course! We were able to see Kyle Larson win the first segment with a livery paying homage to Terry Labonte's “Corn Flakes” paintings. An additional opportunity to talk about a sport which is currently experiencing an absolutely thrilling start to the season.

After this first victory for Ford, the manufacturer with the blue oval regains color in the manufacturers' ranking, while remaining behind Chevrolet and Toyota. Kyle Larson remains the championship leader, as he will now turn his attention to the Indianapolis 500.

Darlington – Standings

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