Keselowski surges to victory in Goodyear 400 at Darlington to break victory lane drought (2024)

DARLINGTON— Brad Keselowski struggled to describe his emotions after ending a three-year, 110-race NASCAR Cup Series victory drought.

The May 12 Goodyear 400 victory at Darlington Raceway meant so much on multiple levels.

It ended a lengthy absence from victory lane. It was his first win since leaving the Penske organization to become co-owner at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing in 2022.

The drought ended in Darlington, a raceway he reveres as the ultimate test of a driver's capabilities. It happened on Mother's Day with his family at the track.

"There's a lot of things to be excited about, right. It's hard to pick one over the other," Keselowski said in a postrace interview at the track.

"I don't know which means the most, but they all mean a lot," he added.

His second Darlington win, Keselowski said, is special because of the track and its history and stature in NASCAR.

All drivers know this is a tough track. It's called the Track Too Tough to Tame for a reason, he said.

"When you win here as a driver, you know what it means. You almost respect yourself, right. That sounds kind of egotistical as I'm saying it, but there are certain wins that you look back on as a driver and they look back on in a driver's career, and they say this one means a lot to me personally because I know what Darlington means to the sport and what it means to win here."

Keselowski roared to the front with nine laps remaining after leaders Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick banged into each other while battling for the lead.

He saw the tire smoke when the two bumped but didn't immediately drive past them. It took a few minutes for Buescher's and Reddick's cars to lose momentum.

When they started to slow, Keselowski surged to the front of the pack.

"When they hit together and they both slid up toward the wall. Smoke was coming everywhere. I was thinking I'm going to try to get both of them, and I didn't get either of them. I thought, 'Oh no, I've missed my shot.'"

The tires on Reddick's and Buescher's cars started to fail, and Keselowski surged to the lead.

"I was looking in my mirror and hoping no one else comes and runs me down," he said.

They didn't, and Keselowski roared past the finish line.

Keselowski, Reddick and Buescher started battling for a victory lane appearance after a restart with 33 laps to go.

Reddick and Keselowski ran side-by-side for multiple laps before Buescher dove below the two to take the lead. Buescher darted into the lead and stayed there until the incident with Reddick.

Keselowski held off a late challenge by Ty Gibbs to win by 1.214 seconds. Josh Berry finished third, followed by Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.

Buescher and Reddick finished 30th and 32nd.

Buescher confronted Reddick after the race.

"We got wrecked," Buescher told the media. "That one's clear as day."

Reddick's move wasn't going to work, he said.

Reddick took responsibility for the incident.

"I completely understand why he is that mad. He did nothing wrong. ... I made an aggressive move and was hoping I was going to clear him. When I realized I wasn't going to, I tried to check up to not slide up into him, but, yeah, I wish I wouldn't have done that," Reddick said.

Keselowski said he is looking forward to the Coca Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend. It's also a historic race, he said.

His car is fast, so he hopes to do well in the race, he said.

Why is Darlington Raceway legendary?

NASCAR legends Jeff Burton and Ray Evernham kicked off the Goodyear 400.

Former crew chief/car owner Evernham told the racers to start their engines and the cars started rolling onto the track.

Evernham led Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team to three Cup Series Championship titles, four Cook Out Southern 500 wins at Darlington Raceway, two Daytona 500 triumphs and 49 wins in the 1990s.

Former NASCAR driver Burton waved the green flag to start the race.

Burton swept the NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington in 1999. He compiled 21 Cup Series and 27 Xfinity Series wins during his 22-year career. Burton was the 1994 NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year.

Evernham and Burton saidduring a prerace interview they were proud to be participating in Throwback Weekend activities.

Darlington is one of his favorite tracks, Evernham said. The raceway is important in NASCAR's history. A trip to victory lane in Darlington helps drivers, crew chiefs and owners make their mark in NASCAR.

"If you look back on your career, it's nice to be recognized. It's nice to be remembered," Evernham said.

Throwback Weekend brings back memories for longtime NASCAR fans and lets new fans learn more about the history of NASCAR racing and its legendary drivers, Evernham said.

All ages could be seen in the stands, around the infield and camping areas as the cars raced around the Track Too Tough to Tame.

Burton reflected on his first race at Darlington Raceway.

Burton's dad, John, would bring Jeff and his two brothers to Darlington when he was a child. They would sit in the covered stands and watch the cars zoom past.

"My ears would be ringing for five days afterward," Burton said. "I just thought it was a great thing."

Later, he came to Darlington as a driver for his father, John, and created more memories for himself and race fans.

Burton drove a late model stock car for his father at South Boston Speedway before making the move to NASCAR.

"To come here and win an Xfinity race, a Winston Cup race and and then to be back in this situation as a kid in the grandstand, there is no way I could have wrapped my head around this situation," Burton said.

Throwback Weekend honors the legends of NASCAR.

The late Cale Yarborough's 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass was added to the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum for Throwback Weekend.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Yarborough collected 83 wins during his 31-year career, including five Southern 500 victories on the Darlington track. The Timmonsville native died in December.

The No. 29 car was donated to the Florence County Museum in 2016. It was on display at the Florence Center until last month when it moved to the Darlington Raceway Stock Car Museum for the Throwback Weekend exhibition.