When EchoPark Speedway was repaved, there was concern that the new style of racing would eliminate much of what made the abrasive drivers’ first track a favorite among them.

Nearly three years later, much of those concerns have faded away because of days like the one Brad Keselowski had on Sunday. Welcome back to Around the Grid, where the TWA crew picks one driver to spotlight their race, through the good, the bad and the boring.

One third of RFK Racing’s namesake, started high thanks to the cancellation of qualifying and was making quick work of the field to open the race. Keselowski found himself leading the pack quickly when he came over the radio  to interrupt Spotter TJ Majors with a sentence that would soon derail a strong start.

“Just a little free,” Keselowski said. 

What started as a slight annoyance quickly unraveled as Keselowski struggled to hang onto his racecar. Just over 30 laps into the race, the #6 car was letting people by, dropping anchor and finding themselves at the tail end of the field, ultimately finishing 26th in stage one.

“I just don’t have handling, I’m too trimmed or something,” Keselowski said to his team. “Car is fast as hell, I just can’t drive it.” 

Crew Chief Jeremy Bullins went to work, calling for a wedge adjustment and raising the nose of the BuildSubmarines Ford to tighten up the car in addition to four tires and fuel. These adjustments were a step in the right direction, but left the former Cup Series champion too tight on entry and still loose, leaving him unable to use the car to attack the front.

Luckily for the #6 team, Ty Gibbs and Josh Berry’s midpack tango brought out the first natural caution of the day. This gave them time to take more swings on the car, working on the nose and making air pressure changes to shift Keselowski’s grip to the rear of the car.

What followed was more cautions, allowing the team to give Keselowski a car that he could shred through the field with. Despite some run-ins with Spire Motorsports, in which Majors described Carson Hocevar as “driving like a weapon,” the #6 was slowly rebuilding its day.

“Best we’ve been overall,” Keselowski said prior to the last restart of the second stage.

Thanks to the changes, the RFK car finished 9th in stage two, claiming his first stage points of the season. Another solid call moved Keselowski back to the front of the pack, starting 4th and leading laps for the first time since lap 10.   

Yet’ what comes up, must go back down and that held true for Brad K. As soon as he lost the lead, his car began sinking back into the hornets’ nest that was the top 10. Sticking to the bottom lane on two restarts, the veteran was able to hold his ground for much of the third stage, but never reclaiming the lead.

As the caution flags kept waving, Keselowski’s car kept slowing down, leaving them behind the 8-ball and attempting to gamble on pit strategy before NASCAR Overtime. The #6 team got the first caution they were looking for, but none more and were trapped toward the back of the pack as Tyler Reddick took home the checkered flag. 

“Good fight, just all the lanes we picked slowed up on those restarts,” Keselowski said following the race, taking home a 17th-place finish.