Brad Keselowski spent about 35 minutes of his Saturday morning sitting at a desk in the Martinsville Speedway media center, speaking in depth about his split from RFK Racing at season’s end, as well as what the future may hold for him.

The Rochester Hills, Michigan-native made no formal announcement about his plans for next season, because he doesn’t have any yet. A half-hour before the press conference began, RFK Racing released a statement saying the two parties had reached an agreement to let Keselowski be a “passive investor” in the team, while pursuing other driving opportunities elsewhere.

That agreement came, verbally, about an hour before the press conference, Keselowski mentioned, and allows him to compete for any organization, in any series, running any manufacturer.

So, what else did we learn from Saturday’s press conference with Keselowski?

• RFK Racing and Brad Keselowski began the process of attempting to renew his contract, which expired after 2026, about 11 months ago, with Keselowski wanting to continue as a driver, and as the team’s competition lead for the foreseeable future.
  • Keselowski’s partners at RFK were not on board with that plan, necessarily, and the two parties could not reach an agreement.
  • The interaction, Keselowski says, was not adversarial, but was chalked up to “a difference of opinion in how we best viewed the future of the company” which became a strong impasse and could not be overcome.
• RFK Racing was adamant in the fact that they would not be holding Keselowski hostage in his ownership agreement with the team and would allow him to move on with another organization.
  • The two parties came to that (verbal) agreement an hour before the press conference began, which, admittedly, changed a lot of things that were going to be said in this media availability.
  • RFK Racing also assured Keselowski that they would work with him to orchestrate a buyout or sale of the 20% equity he had in the team.
• Brad Keselowski says that there are a number of opportunities available, and in front of him, for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, and beyond, and that he’s had a lot of outreaches – but would not go into specifics.
• Now that Keselowski has been granted the release, there are three major steps he needs to take moving forward:
  • Engage with the NASCAR Cup Series opportunities.
    • Before this morning’s verbal agreement, Keselowski was unable to even entertain those potential opportunities since he was not released by RFK Racing to do so. Now, those can be seriously considered, along with any other offers he might have.
  • Find himself a media and marketing partner to align with.
  • Begin the process of selling his 20% stake in RFK Racing.
• Keselowski says that racing in 2027 is still not a guarantee for him, although the path for him to get there is much more visible as of late. Not racing would be “devastating”.
  • Keselowski acknowledges that getting a deal done for next year is going to be challenging since he’s starting from square one on the first of November, and lots of deals have already come together.
• Keselowski confirmed a recent report from Sports Business Journal that he made a “serious offer” to purchase RFK Racing in its entirety, along with some investors, but he was turned down.
  • However, Keselowski mentions that ever since the end of the antitrust lawsuit between 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR, the perception of the sport has changed in New York (and other places where capital investment firms are located), saying that the sport is now viewed as a positive ownership asset to have.
• Per an agreement signed with RFK Racing, none of the team’s current sponsors will be allowed to leave with Brad Keselowski.
• Keselowski says his goal for his next opportunity is that he wants to contend for wins as a driver, an owner, an operator, a manager, and all of the above, and that he wants to be a part of seeing people being successful.
• Keselowski mentions there is no Plan A versus Plan B for the NASCAR Cup Series versus the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series but has interest in both divisions in a meaningful way.
  • One of the bigger points of interests for Keselowski is the Triple Crown, and being the first driver to win a Cup, O’Reilly, and Truck Series title, which he would just need a Truck Series title to accomplish.
• Keselowski would NOT rule out the re-birth of Brad Keselowski Racing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, saying that there was “a strong chance with no certainty” that the team would return one day, and that he has the assets and the interest for it to potentially happen.
• Keselowski is optimistic that SOMETHING will work out for him but isn’t exactly sure what that will be yet.
• Ownership or management isn’t a MUST for Keselowski in his next deal but would definitely be preferred.
• Keselowski says “no door is closed” when asked by Jordan Bianchi about whether he could reunite with RFK Racing for some NASCAR Cup Series events in 2027.
• Despite rumors that Brad Keselowski could be headed to Dodge/RAM to help re-launch its NASCAR National Series program (as Dodge gets closer and closer a 2027 Cup Series return), Keselowski says that he has had no meaningful conversations with Dodge or RAM.
• With the release agreement just verbal at this point, Brad Keselowski says he’s pretty confident that it will get done the way it was discussed this morning, as all parties have the integrity necessary to make that happen.
• Asked about how he’s feeling about all of this, Keselowski made it known that he’s happy to have control of his own destiny moving forward in his NASCAR career, something he hasn’t had in the last month as he and RFK Racing have been trying to figure out how to amicably separate.