Heading into last year’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, Brad Keselowski had butterflies fluttering in his stomach for two reasons.
One, it was the first year that the NASCAR Cup Series would race on the temporary, quarter-mile track inside the L.A. Memorial Coliseum and Keselowski had no idea what to expect.
“The L.A. Coliseum was an interesting challenge. It’s really not like any other track we have,” Keselowski commented. “You saw some pictures, but the real world is always a bit different.”
Two, he was starting his season surrounded by new team after leaving Team Penske in 2021 to pursue an ownership role with Roush Fenway Racing — now Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK Racing).
In truth, there were more “unknowns” than “knowns” as Keselowski took his No. 6 Ford Mustang to the famed Southern California facility to go racing. Though he was able to put some laps in on the track, he was among 13 drivers who failed to qualify for the Clash’s 23-car field.
The trek admittedly feels a little more familiar to the driver this go-round, as he has a full season with RFK under his belt, which may help ward off some of the anxiety of last year.
“I think we have a lot more knowns going into this year,” Keselowski said matter-of-factly. “I know what I don’t know now.”
He’s looking to apply the lessons he learned in 2022 to the upcoming season and, starting with the Busch Light Clash, the first thing he’s wanting is a victory.
While Keselowski won Duel 1 at Daytona prior to last year’s Daytona 500, his best finish at a points-paying event came in the third-to-last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he finished fifth. He had six top-10 finishes in 36 races.
“I wanted to get another win. I kind of had that as an expectation, so I was a little disappointed by that,” Keselowski said. “But by the back half of the year, I felt like we had the opportunity to at least run competitively multiple times.”
As a 15-year veteran driver of the Cup Series, he’s confident that the momentum the team picked up in the latter half of the season will continue to carry them in the right direction. But as a new co-owner, Keselowski has worked diligently during the offseason to optimize the team’s resources and ensure the team has capitalized on that progress.
If the track at the Coliseum is anything like it was last year, Keselowski feels he has no reason not to expect good things there.
“It’s so small, but the pavement is brand new. It’s fresh, it’s smooth. The track has a lot of grip,” Keselowski said. “It was really done well last year and I’m really excited about seeing what we can do there.”
Qualifying for the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum will begin on Saturday, Feb. 4.
There are 36 cars entered, but only 27 will appear in Sunday’s race.