Brad Keselowski, who drives for the Team Penske NASCAR team, has major praise for new crew chief Paul Wolfe.
Keselowski was not only impressed with the performance of new crew chief Paul Wolfe but also his personality. Keselowski believes that having a more laid-back approach is what NASCAR needs to help improve their current situation in which they are struggling to find sponsorship and fans.
Getty Brad Keselowski puts the Next-Generation No. 6 RFK Ford Mustang to the test.
Brad Keselowski has expressed his displeasure with his new crew chief. He praised Matt McCall and explained why he picked him to assist head the No. 6 RFK Racing squad.
During a media availability on Tuesday, November 16, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series winner shared his thoughts. He was instrumental in ushering in Roush Fenway Racing’s new era, which started with a name change to Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing. Then Keselowski discussed how McCall’s playoff experience would help him in 2022.
On November 16, Keselowski told media members, “Matt’s got a helluva of pedigree.” Video courtesy of NASCAR. “If you look at his past six seasons, he’s been in the playoffs in five of them.” As a result, you’re an immediate playoff contender. It instantly elevates us to a higher degree of credibility.
“He brought over a much of the [No.] 1 team from last year, including engineers, crew chiefs, and vehicle chiefs.” As a result, we’re quite thrilled about it. It gives us the impression that we can get up to speed quickly.”
Before the Phoenix Race, RFK Racing Officially Announced the Addition of McCall.
Getty After the championship race, Matt McCall joined RFK Racing.
McCall would join the No. 6 squad before the season finale in Phoenix, according to the championship-winning franchise. On November 2, RFK Racing released a press release confirming that the playoff-contending crew chief will attempt to return the No. 6 Ford Mustang to Victory Lane.
On November 7, McCall finished a seven-year stint with Chip Ganassi Racing in Phoenix. He worked with Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch as the crew chief for the No. 1 Chevrolet for seven seasons. Six of his seven teams made the playoffs, with a total of 98 top-10 finishes, 30 top-five finishes, and three triumphs. By reaching Victory Lane at Kentucky Speedway in 2019, Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020, and Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2021, Busch and the No. 1 crew were responsible for all three victories.
After three seasons with Busch and the No. 1 team, McCall switched to RFK Racing and completed his career with the No. 1 team with a victory. Now he’ll team up with Keselowski to attempt to add to his list of victories and playoff appearances. It will not be easy to achieve this aim, but Next Gen vehicles may be able to help.
With Next-Generation Cars, NASCAR Aims for More Parity
There are concerns regarding whether the top teams will continue to dominate races after the switch to Next Gen cars in 2022. On October 12, FOX Sports commentator Larry McReynolds told Major that although some smaller teams may be more competitive early on, the heavy hitters like Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing would eventually maintain their positions at the top of the scoreboard.
After the first day of Next Gen testing, NASCAR’s senior vice president of racing innovation, John Probst, met with media members and shared some unique information. After seeing the opening lap times at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which had BJ McLeod in the top 10, he said that the competition “continues to get better” from the rear of the field to the front.
According to NASCAR, Probst informed media members on November 17 that “we saw a number of the lesser teams rise up the leaderboard a fair amount there.” “I understand that not everyone is come here to set a new lap record, but you can see that the teams from the front to the rear are much more prepared.” They’re up and running in no time.
“So I feel like they’re picking things up rapidly and their level of preparedness has skyrocketed, particularly now that the races are over.” They’re entirely focused on the vehicle at this moment, so I’d anticipate Phoenix to be the next step in their preparation, and the competition should continue to improve from front to back.”
There’s no assurance that the smaller teams will be more competitive, but on February 5-6, they’ll have a chance to put that notion to the test. They’ll fly to Los Angeles for the Busch Light Clash, the first exhibition race of 2022, at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
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