Bob Keselowski, the father of 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski and a winning race car driver and team owner in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series, died Wednesday due to complications from cancer. He was 70.
"Bob Keselowski was a true racer whose determination and love of the sport embodied the NASCAR and ARCA spirit," read a statement by NASCAR. "He worked tirelessly to build his family-owned team, doing whatever it took to compete. Our thoughts are with the Keselowski family during this difficult time."
The brother of former NASCAR driver Ron Keselowski, Bob Keselowski made a name for himself professionally as a highly-successful driver in ARCA competition. After joining the circuit full-time in 1986, Bob Keselowski won 24 races in his ARCA career and was the series champion in 1989.
Bob Keselowski then moved up to NASCAR in 1995, becoming one of the original drivers in the first-ever season for NASCAR's Truck Series. He competed in Trucks for five seasons, earning the lone victory of his career at Richmond in 1997 before turning his focus to being a team owner. As the owner of K-Automotive, Bob Keselowski fielded race-winning trucks for drivers like Dennis Setzer and Terry Cook while also helping to launch the careers of his two sons, Brad and Brian.
Brad Keselowski would go on to great success after driving for the family team, and is now a NASCAR Champion as well as one of the most prolific drivers of his era. Brian Keselowski ran 67 races across NASCAR's national touring series -- including the 2011 Daytona 500, where he made the race driving for the family team and crew chiefed by his father -- and now works as a Truck Series crew chief.
My dad will always be my hero. He was quiet and understated, but that didn’t change the impact he had on me or that I watched him have on everyone who knew him. I am forever grateful for what I learned from this man, and I will remember him every day. https://t.co/NiG822YfpD pic.twitter.com/eUZWkPtUEG
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) December 22, 2021
In his later years, Bob Keselowski remained active behind the driver's seat in pursuit of land-speed records for stock cars. In 2018, he set the stock car land-speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, reaching 271.8 MPH during a five-mile run behind the wheel of a specially-prepared Cup car.
In addition to his success in ARCA and in the Truck Series, Bob Keselowski made one career start in the NASCAR Cup Series. He qualified for a race at Pocono in 1994 driving for Jimmy Means, but lasted only 17 laps before dropping out due to engine failure.
Bob Keselowski finished his racing career with 24 victories in ARCA, one Truck Series victory as a driver and eight Truck victories as a team owner. As of 2021, Bob Keselowski continues to rank eighth on ARCA's all-time wins list.
