Busch replaced as NASCAR rival named best Cup Series driver

Time waits for no man in NASCAR - just ask Brad Keselowski.

The 41-year-old superstar is now 13 long years removed from his only Cup Series championship, and on the outside looking in at the 2025 playoffs.

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A long career at the very highest level though does mean Keselowski is brilliantly placed to assess the level of talent on the current grid.

This week he was the subject of the ‘12 Questions interview’ with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, and Gluck asked him for a reprise of something they discussed for a similar article way back in 2021. Namely ‘who is the most talented driver in NASCAR today?’

Who is the best driver in NASCAR today?

Now the last time Keselowski answered that question he did so with the name Kurt Busch, who retired from NASCAR in 2023. So no chance of a repeat here. Brad’s take was, as ever, fascinating and it provided a two-part answer.

“The sport has changed a lot since then. When I thought of talent in that era, I thought of someone who could just make a race car go really fast. That was more important than it is now. Now, probably more so than ever, the talent is very procedural - who can maximize pit road, who can nail restarts, who can do the procedural stuff, not the just “go haul a— around this racetrack.” So the talent that’s rewarded is different than it was then.

“If I was using the same metrics of 2010 for today, I would say Kyle Larson - he has the most raw speed of anyone in the garage. If I was thinking of it more in this procedural-based mentality, I’d probably point more at Joey Logano. He probably doesn’t have the go-fast that Kyle Larson has, but he’s very well-rounded in all the aspects of the game - restarts, pit road, passing, defense. He’s the most rounded guy in the field.”

Why does Keselowski race on?

As Keselowski races on further into his fifth decade, he was also asked by Gluck why he keeps racing at the highest level, with the same level of motivation to succeed. The answer was simple - family.

“If there’s something I dream about that inspires me, it’s being in victory lane with my kids. I remember being in victory lane when I was a kid with my dad and what that moment felt like, and I really want that for my kids.

“My kids are just now getting old enough to watch the races and kind of understand what’s happening, which can be fun when you have a good day - not so fun when you have a bad day. But I want my kids growing up to see me as a winner. That’s super motivating to me.”

While Keselowski is no longer the dominance force he once was, he still has what it takes to make that victory lane dream a reality one day soon. As proven by that terrific second-place finish behind Christopher Bell at Bristol last Saturday night.

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