HAMPTON, Ga.—Brad Keselowski was a sitting duck.
Despite being one of the best drivers on superspeedways, despite having a car that could move from the top of the track to the bottom, and despite having one of the best spotters in TJ Majors to guide his way over the final 29 laps, Keselowski could not stop the Joey Logano express at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Although remained in contention until the last half of a lap, Keselowski had to settle for second on Sunday.
“The bottom row came with a huge run,” Keselowski said. “I don’t know how and I thought I had it blocked and Joey just kept shaking and his car didn’t stall out.
“I couldn’t get the push down the back. I thought, ‘I’ll just get a push down the back,’ and the 20 (Christopher Bell) car just hauled down there.”
Still, from where he was a year ago—just five races into his ownership role at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing—to challenging the NASCAR Cup Series champion behind the wheel of his own car, the driver could not have been prouder of the result.
Keselowski entered the race just wanting a solid finish. He ended the day on the podium.
No doubt, the former teammates know each other well. Keselowski recommended Logano to team owner Roger Penske when an opening became available at the end of 2012. For the next nine seasons, the drivers and friends called Team Penske home.
And there was not a more formidable duo on superspeedways during their time together. Keselowski’s friend and current spotter, Majors, was Logano’s spotter for several years starting at Martinsville in 2015. Logano drove a truck for BKR and won from the pole.
So when it came down to the end game in the Ambetter 400, there wasn’t a better matchup for the finish than Keselowski and Logano. Each could anticipate the other’s move.
“I know Brad really well on and off the racetrack, right? I know he’s going to do anything to win a race,” Logano said. “And rightfully so. I wouldn’t say our racing mentalities are very different. That’s why I feel like we get along well. We also sometimes have clashed on a track every now and then. Not very often.
“We both race really, really hard. So I felt like we were definitely going to duke it out.”
Logano was fifth with two laps remaining. With a push from his buddy Corey LaJoie down the frontstretch, Logano was able to move around Bell and then set his sights on Keselowski.
“When I got to his outside, it was either he was going to wreck or we were going to just race and hopefully he was going to get the big push on the bottom,” Logano said. “That was his only hope there. It just ultimately ended up working out fine.
“It’s fun racing with him because you kind of have an idea of what he’s thinking a little bit. Also with T.J., right, he’s his spotter, he was my spotter for years, so I kind of have an idea of what information T.J. is feeding him. It all worked out for us.”
On the final lap, Keselowski attempted every block in the book going through Turns 1 and 2. But as the pair entered the backstretch, Logano had the high lane—and the momentum. He extended his lead to 0.779 seconds at the finish.
“It was a heck of a battle,” Keselowski said. “The coolest thing about this is two veterans showed that you can run a race here side-by-side bump drafting and not wreck the field. It can happen if you race respectfully and I thought everybody did a great job.
“We were right there. I’m proud of my team and the effort, just not much we could do there.”
Keselowski has made significant gains over 2022. He posted just one top-five finish in 35 races—a fifth-place result at Homestead Miami Speedway. In 2023, his average qualifying effort of 8.2—10 positions better than last year. The better starts have enabled the No. 6 Ford to run closer to the front of the pack with the drivers Keselowski is accustomed to racing with.
Sunday’s second-place result certainly offers the 39-year-old former champion hope.
“It’s night and day from where we were a year ago, 100 percent,” Keselowski said. “You just keep running like this with good finishes and the wins will come.”
