Brad Keselowski Explains Who Really Holds Power in NASCAR

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Brad Keselowski Explains Who Really Holds Power in NASCAR

Originally posted on RFKRacingDigest
By Chionia Libania Colaco | Last updated Apr 24, 2026 2:27 PM ET

Running a NASCAR team has been one of the most challenging tasks in the sport lately. The rising costs of charters do not help the case. While some team owners feel NASCAR has become a billionaire’s sport, Brad Keselowski begs to differ.

For instance, during his recent appearance on the Dale Jr Download podcast, Live Fast Motorsports owner B.J. McLeod spoke about how owning a charter in NASCAR was no longer feasible.

“I would own a part of one. Because the Cup Series unfortunately is a billionaires’ sport now. Not a millionaire,” he said.

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s team owner, Brad Keselowski, was recently questioned about the same. Differing from McLeod’s stance, he said, “The shift that I have seen has been more of, rather than team-owner-based influence, more OEM influence.”

Explaining this, he further added, “OEMs have more influence than they did for any time I have been a part of the sport. And they have chosen to support the billionaires because of the stability that they represent. I probably view it more as the OEMs than anything else.”

“I’d probably view it more of the OEMs than anything else.”

Brad Keselowski tells @IveBeenTimMoore he doesn’t necessarily agree with B.J. McLeod’s take that NASCAR has shifted from a millionaire’s sport to a billionaire’s sport.@keselowski | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Vcm5qMLT2U
— Motorsports Today (@MtrsprtsToday) April 22, 2026

In any sport, good financial backing is essential to have better success than others. OEMs would naturally prefer teams with a strong financial foundation, which would help both achieve their goals better.

A clear example of this is Toyota and 23XI Racing. With Michael Jordan’s backing, the team can take greater risks and engage in more comprehensive research to enhance its performance. On the other hand, smaller teams like Wood Brothers Racing or Live Fast Motorsports cannot afford to spend money in the same way, struggling to make ends meet. This ultimately brings a bad reputation for their OEMs as well.

B.J. McLeod on why he cannot afford to run a charter

Back in 2020, McLeod purchased a charter for $10 million and started Live Fast Motorsports. But in 2023, he sold it for $40 million.

In the aforementioned podcast episode, McLeod opened up on the reason, saying, “We just simply can’t afford it. Right? Like, it’s—to run every week and own a charter and do it correctly. I feel like for me personally, where I’m at in life and the things I’ve done, I don’t want to be there unless I can try to compete.”

Owning a charter got expensive for McLeod as he had to also take up the operational costs. In addition to this, McLeod could not attract any sponsors either, and the diminishing performance of the team also created pressure.