"I like being the guy who upsets people": Brad Keselowski’s protégé relishes ‘underdog’ label amid NASCAR playoff charge

Brad Keselowski has been racing in the NASCAR world since 2004. The 41-year-old is at the stage of his career where he can now help guide the younger generation in the sport around him and help them with his experience. One such driver who has benefited from Keselowski's guidance has been Ryan Preece. Preece races for the RFK racing team, which is co-owned by Brad Keselowski.

Preece has been striving for wins this season, but has third as his best finishing position of the year, which came at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier in March this season. The 34-year-old driver finished 15th during the Viva Mexico 250 race last time around at Mexico City.

The RFK racing team driver has usually been considered an underdog in the sport, but seeing his statistics, he has delivered consistent results for himself and his team. He currently ranks 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series with 354 points. The driver hasn't yet qualified for the playoffs and recently shared his opinions on being considered an underdog on being a potential driver to qualify for the playoffs.

"What I truly enjoy is being looked at as a true underdog. They didn't expect me to run well this year; they didn't expect me to even be in the chase conversation, or even be in the conversation to try and make the playoffs, so I like it, I like being the guy that usually upsets people." Ryan Preece said.

The driver's statements ooze confidence and optimism about qualifying for the playoffs. He would be back in action this weekend at the Great American Getaway 400 race at the Pocono Raceway. Preece hopes to clinch a victory as soon as possible and qualify for the NASCAR playoffs.

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Teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece ensure that nothing changes between them as they battle for the NASCAR Playoffs

RFK racing teammates, Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher, find themselves battling for the final NASCAR playoff spot in the Cup Series. With ten races remaining in the season, the drivers find themselves ranked 13th and 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series rankings, with Buescher with a 19-point advantage over his teammate.

Due to this battle, people may expect the duo to become friends to enemies, but both drivers have recently ensured that nothing of that sort is gonna happen to them.

"We're not going to act like we're just racing one car. For us, it's not going to change our approach. We've been able to race each other really respectfully, understanding that we are each other's only friend out there at a lot of points. I think we'll continue to have good, hard racing like we have throughout the year," Chris Buscher said via Yardbarker.

Ryan Preece also expressed a similar sentiment to that of his teammate, indicating his strategy to look for wins and nothing else. As this NASCAR season carries on, this battle is expected to become more intense and close with the close teammates in pursuit of the final playoff spot.

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Edited by Mitali