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Brad Keselowski No. 6 car smokes into pit road during Daytona 500 practice

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•02/12/25•

NickGeddesNews

Brad Keselowski
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 RFK Racing team sure made the right decision by getting on the track for Wednesday’s Cup Series opening practice at Daytona.

Keselowski hardly got any run around the 2.5-mile tri-oval before his car started smoking. The 41-year-old was forced to come down pit road and back into the garage with what has been identified as a steering issue.

“Very thankful for a practice session,” RFK tweeted. “The No. 6 team noticed smoke coming from @keselowski’s car during the opening laps of practice. And brought it to the garage for repairs. Seems to be an issue with the steering.”

The issue with Keselowski’s car highlights the importance of practice with qualifying set for 8:15 p.m. ET Wednesday. It’s better to catch it now rather than when it matters.

“It’s actually a steering issue with the racecar,” FOX Sports‘ Regan Smith said on the FS1 Broadcast. “They’re going to take an opportunity to get that fixed up. A good break, we normally wouldn’t have this practice before qualifying. So, really a good break for the 6 car.”

Brad Keselowski chasing first Daytona 500 win

Keselowski isn’t the only driver to experience issues early at Daytona. His teammate, Ryan Preece, also had smoke coming out of his No. 60 car. Four-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves, making his NASCAR debut, reported steering issues before practice.

“The steering is completely messed up,” Castroneves said, via motorsports reporter Alan Cavanna.

As for Keselowski, his team will look to make the necessary adjustments for qualifying and of course, for Sunday’s 67th running of the Daytona 500. Keselowski is competing in his 16th Daytona 500, a race he’s seldom found success in. He has just three top 10s in the Great American Race and has finished 22nd or worse in three of his last five starts.

A Cup champion, Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Brickyard 400 winner, the only thing missing on Keselowski’s Hall of Fame resume is a Daytona 500 victory.