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Brad Keselowski's most heartbreaking Daytona 500 losses
NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (6) waits for the start of the Iowa Corn 350 at the Iowa Speedway. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Brad Keselowski's most heartbreaking Daytona 500 losses

Brad Keselowski is a 36-time NASCAR Cup Series winner and the 2012 series champion, but he's never won NASCAR's greatest race. 

The Daytona 500 has always eluded Keselowski, who is set to make his 17th start in the "Great American Race" on Feb. 15. 

Here are the four most heartbreaking Daytona 500 losses for the future NASCAR Hall of Famer. 

2022: Not much to show for a fast car

Keselowski started third in the 2022 running after winning his qualifying race. At the end of a week where Ford has consistently been fast, he led 67 laps. But after fading to the back half of the top-10 in the closing laps, he was unable to make a charge and get back to the front, finishing ninth as Austin Cindric took the win.

2014: Second fiddle to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Keselowski started 33rd in the 2014 Daytona 500, but it didn't take long for him to find his way to the front. Keselowski led 13 laps and was inside the top-five and top-10 for a majority of the race. 

Keselowski was side-by-side for second with Denny Hamlin at the white flag, but couldn't get a good enough push to catch race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Keselowski's third-place result remains his best in the "Great American Race."

2021: Last-lap tangle with teammate

At the very worst, Keselowski was in a position to start his 2021 season with a top-five finish. At best, he could finally win the Daytona 500. 

But both of those possibilities went out the window after Keselowski turned his Penske teammate in Joey Logano and triggered a fiery multi-car crash on the final lap. While Michael McDowell celebrated his first career win, Keselowski was relegated to a heartbreaking 13th-place finish.

2020: A victim of the 'Big One'

Keselowski started ninth and led 30 laps in the 2020 Daytona 500. While battling for the lead on Lap 184, Keselowski was involved in a huge wreck that took away arguably his best shot at winning a Harley J. Earl trophy.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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