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| Photo: ARCA Racing |
Bob Keselowski began his racing career all the way back in 1980, when he competed in a ARCA race in his home state of Michigan, at the now well known Michigan International Speedway. Keselowski would qualify 17th, but unfortunately finish 28th after an engine failure brought an early end to the race for the No. 19 car. Following his single start in 1980, Keselowski would take a five year break, returning to ARCA in 1985 to compete in a race at Toledo Speedway in Toledo, Ohio. Once again, Keselowski would qualify an impressive 9th, but finish well outside the top-10 in 17th due to significant rear end damage. Though off to a slow start, Bob Keselowski's career was about to blossom.
The following year, 1986, Bob Keselowski would start 15 of the 16 scheduled races on the ARCA schedule. Bob Keselowski suffered attrition at nine of those races, unable to finish for various reasons. Aside from these downfalls in the 1986 season, Keselowski saw a significant upswing, finishing runner up upon two opccasions (St. Louis International Raceway and Flat Rock Speedway), and even winning the pole award at Berlin Raceway, where Keselowski would come out on top scoring his first career victory.
In the seasons after 1986, Keselowski would compete in a majority of the races on the ARCA schedule, scoring three wins in 1987, five wins in 1988, and four wins in 1989. Over the span of his ARCA career, Bob Keselowski was able to claim 23 victories, and 67 top-10 finishes. What some fail to see is that Keselowski's career was much more than just ARCA.
In 1987, Bob Keselowski tried his hand at NASCAR's Winston Cup Series, driving the No. 49 Chevrolet, at Michigan International Speedway, but unfortunately the now middle aged driver would not make the show. Several years later in 1994, after continued ARCA competition Keselowski would again make an attempt at the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, where he qualified 42nd in Jimmy Mean's No. 52 Ford Thunderbird. Though Keselowski's ride was strong enough to qualify for the event at Pocono Raceway, it was not strong enough to stand the test of the race as the No. 52's engine expired, and Bob Keselowski would finish 41st.
This hardship for Bob Keselowski was not enough to put a damper on his otherwise very successful career. Keselowski would instead join the newly created NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for it's inaugural season in 1995. Supporting Dodge as the company made it's return to the start, Bob Keselowski would pioneer the NASCAR Truck Series as he participated part-time in 1995, scoring four top-10 finishes. Bob Keselowski would score 7 more top-10 finishes in the 1996 and '97 seasons, two of which being top-5 finishes, before ultimately breaking his win-less streak and scoring his first series victory.
Keselowski would continue to race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 1998 and 1999, but would fail to score any top-10 finishes, garnering a average finish of 18.4 in 1998 and an average finish of 21.0 in 1999. Unfortunately, Keselowski retired from competition following the 1999 season, taking a break for the next handful of years.
Bob Keselowski's legacy would not end though, as in 2004 both of Keselowski's sons Brain and Brad (whom you may know of) made their ARCA debuts, taking after their father. Bob would support both of the Keselowski sons, as well as countless other up and comers in the stock car racing division.
Bob Keselowski's children would make their way to the NASCAR Cup Series, just like their father. Differently from their father, both would participate in NASCAR's Busch/Nationwide Series, with Brad seeing great success. Brad Keselowski, Bob's youngest son would win his fifth NASCAR Cup Series race after fierce competition with Carl Edwards, who would flip over the top of Brad's No. 09 Chevrolet. Brad became a NASCAR Cup Series Champion in 2012 with the help of racing mastermind Roger Penske. Penske would bring Keselowski a slew of Cup Series and Nationwide Series victories over the next years, and Brad Keselowski's career still continues today as the now middle aged driver tries his hand at team driver/ownership.
Until his final days battling cancer, Bob Keselowski helped NASCAR teams such as Sam Hunt Racing get their foot into the sport. His commitments to NASCAR and the motor-sport of auto-racing will not be forgotten as the NASCAR community sees the results of them on a daily basis.
Bob Keselowski's career was not one that is remembered the same way as legends like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip or Jimmie Johnson, but it certainly was legendary. To call the life that Bob Keselowski led anything less is an understatement. Bob Keselowski had a hand in building NASCAR into what it is today, and poured countless hours of his time into its em-betterment. For that I will be forever grateful. Thank you Bob Keslelowski, and may you forever rest in peace.
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