When the NASCAR Cup Series started in February at the Daytona 500, Brad Keselowski and his team were upbeat with a fifth-place finish.
Since then, it’s been a mixed bag for the RFK racing team, which includes Grand Valley graduate Cody Osburn as a pit crew member.
Advertisement
“We started off strong, I thought at the beginning of the season, so did the rest of the company,” he said. “The first race of the year, which is the Daytona 500, we had a shot to win it, and would have if it weren’t for a bad block thrown late from another car.”
Since then, Keselowski, driving the No. 6 car, and the team has garnered just one other top-five finish, which was second at Darlington March 22.
“There were a stretch of races where it seemed like our black cloud from 2025 came back,” Osburn said. “The month of June was brutal for us, I believe we recorded three DNFs [did not finish], which caused us to slip out of playoff contention for the moment.”
The top finish for Keselowski, who ranks 20th in the standings with 392 points, in June was 15th at Sonoma.
Advertisement
“With the playoffs looming, it’s going to take a lot to will our way back, but I definitely believe that we can,” said Osburn, who is in his second year with Keselowski’s team.
The Chase begins after the Aug. 29 race at Daytona.
The top 16 drivers in points advance to a 10-race championship battle.
Erik Jones currently holds the 16th spot with 411 points.
“Ideally you want to be in the top 10, so that you can have a realistic shot at the championship at the end of the year,” Osburn said. “I am optimistic because that stretch of races, we usually perform very well, and I would be surprised if we weren’t in contention to race for the win in some of the race.
Advertisement
“There is not much of a points gap between 16th and 20th place, so it very achievable.”
Osburn said Daytona has been a highlight thus far.
“We were so close to winning the 500,” he said. “Super-speedway tracks mean a little bit more to me because you typically rely more on the Fueler for pit stops. There are a lot of stops during those races where it’s just Brad and I due to minimal tire wear. It would have been a great story to tell, especially with Brad coming off of his broken leg.”
Osburn said the team is trying to rectify the struggles.
“It’s been hard as a pit crew to perform to our fullest due to situations on pit road,” he said. “Whether it be a pit stall that isn’t great or as of recently, wrecking out early. Us dropping quickly in the points standings has definitely been a gut punch, but the best thing about it is that we have plenty of races left to crawl back into it and compete.”
Advertisement
However, Osburn believes the team is in a better spot this year.
“Last year, we dug such a big hole, it was very hard to climb our way out,” he said. “This year, we had a not-so-ideal month of June, but nothing we can’t overcome.”
Osburn said the stability of the pit crew has helped make the situation better.
“The five of us have been able to build great chemistry and gel,” he said. “It has allowed us to really capitalize on stops when we are given the chance.”
Coming out of GV, Osburn played football at the now-defunct Notre Dame College, then transferred Lenoir-Rhyne in North Carolina to complete his career and earn a degree.
Advertisement
Then, he transitioned into auto racing.
“I absolutely still love having the opportunity to do what I do,” Osburn said. “Getting to go out and perform on Sundays is a feeling that will never get old.
“I really enjoy my teammates, they really have become my brothers over the last few years. It’s a feeling that I thought I would never get back after football, but I was definitely wrong. It has to be up there as one of the best gigs in the world. I hope that I have a long career in this sport, because I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”
Osburn said he’s learned a lot in just a short time on the pit crew.
Advertisement
“It was a bit intimidating coming into the sport, due to the fact that most of the guys are coming from a huge program like a Clemson or even the NFL, MLB, etc …,” he said. “Coming from a Division II school, you’re always trying to prove yourself.”
Osburn said football and NASCAR can have similar, yet different, characteristics.
“The patience part is huge I think because in a football or basketball game, one of two teams has to win, so you’re more than likely to experience victory more often,” he said. “In NASCAR, you’re racing 36 other teams and you many never get a win. That’s just a part of the sport.”
One aspect of the job, according to Osburn, is getting to know other teams.
Advertisement
He said the object is to win, but when tragedy struck with the deaths of Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch within the year, the racing community came together.
“The losses of Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch definitely were a tremendous impact,” Osburn said. “Greg was a huge hit for RFK as a whole. Biffle was one of the best drivers to ever walk through the doors of RFK. He did a lot for the community, whether it was in NASCAR or humanitarian to the fullest.
“As for Kyle, there will be no one ever like him to come through NASCAR again. He was truly one of a kind. I personally have only racing against him for four years, and didn’t really know him that well, but when the news broke of the tragedy that had happened, I felt an immediate hole. We lost two tremendous people.”
Read the full article here