Brad Keselowski‘s chances of winning a NASCAR race reportedly diminished significantly after the Next Gen car was introduced in 2022. He criticized the current car, also called the Gen 7 car, which has forced him to adapt to a different driving style, and admitted that it feels like an “old pickup truck.”
NASCAR’s Next Gen car was released with a decreased power output of 670 horsepower, and that hasn’t gone down well with several drivers, such as Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Joey Logano. Now, Keselowski has spoken up about what isn’t working for him.
The 41-year-old driver knows he has a few more years in the Cup Series before he retires from the sport. However, his current stint has not been ideal, mostly due to the nature of the Next Gen car. Before the 2022 season, Keselowski had won 35 Cup Series races. But after the introduction of the current car, he has managed to win just one race in the last four years. Speaking on the Stacking Pennies Podcast with Corey LaJoie, Keselowski said:
“Well, the Next Gen car changed me in some ways for worse as a driver because you have to drive it way differently. You know, the cars in 2008, 2009, first off, were significantly faster. I don’t know if I can put into terms how much faster they were than the Next Gen car.”
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 Castrol Ford, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on July 13, 2025 in Sonoma, California.
Brad Keselowski, driver of the #6 Castrol Ford, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on July 13, 2025 in Sonoma, California.
Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing co-owner admitted that the current car is more difficult to drive. He said:
“Yes. Absolutely. Much more difficult to drive. My first Cup start was at Texas and you could literally spin the tires off the corner. You come off a turn four and you be putting the gas pedal down on the rear tire, you know, like wind up.
“Now, you can’t spin the tires on a restart. Like you like restart. I’m in the zone. Mash it. Like, all right, here it goes. But you know what I mean? Like I’m in an old pickup truck.”
Keselowski explained how the Next Gen car is different from the cars he has driven before. He added:
“So, it’s different because the other cars that I raced, throttle control was paramount. Like, if you didn’t have it, you’re going to the back fast. And this car, it’s like the antithesis of that was like you got to like just smash the pedal. Like, smash it. And I think that that’s been hard for me personally. I have to remind myself to like, ‘oh, just drive it stupid,’ you know?
“…I am definitely team horsepower. You know, you look at races like Bristol where the tires wore and you couldn’t do that, and I was like, ‘Oh, these guys are in a heap of trouble.’
“You know, particularly the younger drivers that never had to drive anything that required throttle control, they just, you know, burn them off.”