Only three races remain for the 2025 regular season, and fans are biting their nails. That is because a horde of talented Cup Series drivers are in a deep battle to get through to the postseason. Among them is Brad Keselowski, the 2012 Cup Series champion. Managing RFK Racing as an owner and wheeling the No. 6 Ford simultaneously is no mean feat, yet Keselowski is doing so seamlessly. That is why his playoff situation is bound to stir up drama, as Shane van Gisbergen believes.
NASCAR is in the midst of a heated playoff debate at the moment. After Joey Logano won the 2024 Cup Series title with the worst average finish, demands for a return to a full-points playoff system picked up. However, SVG just illuminated us on why the current system still works.
Expectations are high for Brad Keselowski
The present playoff format is designed to increase TV ratings and ‘Game 7’ moments. The 12-year-old format lets in 16 drivers into the playoffs, and then they try to stay alive through a trio of three-race rounds. It completely disregards the multi-time winners during the regular season – and that is why fans and drivers are protesting against a lack of merit in this format. However, at the same time, it allows exciting storylines to develop around the least expected drivers. Brad Keselowski, for instance, was far from the front row in the first part of the season. Suddenly, he has become a force to reckon with. He clinched a remarkable 3rd-place finish in Iowa last weekend, with solid chances of toppling William Byron.
With 4 top fives and 7 top tens, Brad Keselowski currently stands 19th in the championship standings. If the 2012 title winner can grab a trophy in the next three weekends, he will jump inside the playoffs. That is what his rival, Shane van Gisbergen, is rooting for. He compared himself with Keselowski in a ‘Stacking Pennies’ episode: “When I first won the race, I was 32nd or something, so I could see why. But I would really want Brad Keselowski to win a race, ’cause he was in 30th as well at the time. And it would have been interesting to see what people thought about that. Because he’s a champion, right? And he could run pretty deep in the playoffs.”
The Kiwi speedster was also a non-factor in the first half of 2025. And then, SVG rebounded to grab three back-to-back road course wins in Mexico City, Chicago, and Sonoma. Bubba Wallace became the 13th different winner this year, and Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, and Chris Buescher are holding the final three playoff spots. SVG only expects the anticipation for the postseason to get more interesting: “I really like the dynamic it brings now, especially with Bubba winning. Like there are some guys on the bubble, and some good guys that are desperate for a win. I think it makes the racing much more exciting.”
Clearly, the game is on for the final dash to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. While rooting for his rivals, however, Shane van Gisbergen is also working hard.
Preparing for a redemption
Well, SVG may be rooting for Brad Keselowski‘s resurgence. At the same time, however, he is swearing payback for Keselowski’s team’s driver. Last year in September, during the Watkins Glen Cup Series race, SVG tasted heartbreak. Shane van Gisbergen was well on his way to clinching his second Cup Series victory, taking the lead on the final restart. It was a dramatic two-lap dash alongside Chris Buescher, hot on the heels of SVG. Everything was going well until the Kiwi slipped up on the bus stop section of the 2.45-mile road course. The slight bobble in that section allowed Buescher to rapidly close, send his car inside, and make contact. SVG fought hard, but almost spun out – eventually, he yielded.
Bowing to Chris Buescher, the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford driver, stung SVG. In fact, the sting of that runner-up finish still lingers, as the Kiwi prepares for the 2025 Watkins Glen race. He recently confessed, “I still get frustrated thinking about that race. When I make a personal mistake like that, it makes me angry to think that I threw that one away myself, especially after how good of a day it was. And we had the fastest car all day, then to do that. I really want to get there this weekend, make no mistakes, have a fast car, and try an execute all day. Which we have been doing on the road courses, and it will be good to continue doing that.”
With the Watkins Glen race looming ahead of us this weekend, let us wait and watch. Shane van Gisbergen’s road course magic is high on the cards!
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