That’s a degree not misplaced on 2012 Cup champion Keselowski, who at an official presentation saying his long-anticipated workforce change for 2022 on Tuesday went out of his method to evaluate his new driver/proprietor position at Roush to Tony Stewart’s transfer into an identical place at Haas CNC Racing in 2009.
As Keselowski famous, Stewart was the identical age (37) and had the identical tally of profession wins within the NASCAR Cup Series (35) when he left Joe Gibbs Racing on the finish of 2008 to type Stewart-Haas Racing.
But when Stewart joined forces with Gene Haas, the largest achieve wasn’t simply in including Stewart the completed driver – then a two-time champion. It was additionally all of the distinctive and proficient individuals who got here to work on the organisation as a result of Stewart had now made it his new NASCAR dwelling, duly leading to Stewart taking a 3rd title for SHR in 2011 after a nail-biting decider to beat Carl Edwards on countback.
Keselowski, in addition to the executives at Roush Fenway, are hoping the identical situation performs out of their case.
“First off, hat’s off to Tony – what he did over there was amazing and I don’t know if he’s ever gotten the credit that he rightfully deserves,” Keselowski mentioned.
“He took that company that had never won a race and in two-and-a-half-to-three years’ time won a championship with it. That was so impressive.”
Roush Fenway, the workforce that ran Edwards in that thrilling 2011 season, has a for much longer historical past and way more success in NASCAR than Haas did on the time of Stewart’s addition. It claimed consecutive titles with Matt Kenseth (2003) and Kurt Busch (2004) and likewise completed runner-up 4 occasions with Mark Martin (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002) and with Greg Biffle in 2005.
Those components, in addition to the change to the Next Generation automobile within the Cup Series subsequent season – the place each workforce will mainly be beginning on a degree taking part in area – ought to present for a neater transition.
“One of the key things is Tony did an amazing job of bringing in key talent,” Keselowski mentioned.
“I believe we’re all the time expertise. Things will change, groups change, firms change over time and other people go completely different locations and issues like that occur.
“I think our eyes and ears are open as talent becomes available at all times, and I’m hopeful that we’ll continue to have an influx of talent with this announcement. It’s one of the key reasons why we’re here today is to show the world that here’s what we’re doing and to make sure that we’re attracting the best talent as it comes up.”
Team co-owner Jack Roush echoed Keselowski’s ideas.
“One of the challenges that we had was getting this press conference moved up as far back in the summer as we could so that we’d have the opportunity to talk with people who might be considering a change that would be attracted to us and we would be attractive to them,” Roush mentioned. “So, we undoubtedly have our shingle out.
“We’re in the business to stay and we’re looking to reset and to move forward with the most aggressive attack at the rules changes and the hardware changes that the Next Gen car has and to re-evaluate the skill sets and look at making improvements and ambitions to our organisation out of people that are at a point in their career where they’re ready for a change as Brad was.”
Keselowski’s further concentrate on the competitors facet of the brand new organisation will put him in a key position to determine who’s added and who’s saved at Roush.
The expertise he has in his profession, from having owned his personal Truck Series program in addition to driving for profitable organisations corresponding to JR Motorsports and Penske, ought to profit him nicely.
“It’s a critical role for me and it’s a critical role for me in joining the team, no doubt,” Keselowski mentioned.
“It actually comes right down to the fashion of administration that you’ve. I’m an enormous believer in servant management
“Quite a bit of my intention is, sure, to carry individuals accountable as any chief does, however extra so to serve the workforce in serving to them get what they should be the very best they are often, and meaning being an lively listener as a lot as setting path, however serving to them obtain their targets and serving to them inform us what to do.
“There’s the old Steve Jobs saying, ‘We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do, not so I can tell them what to do.’ And I’m a big believer in that, so there’s certainly some work to be done in that area.”
Keselowski is underneath no illusions of a straightforward path forward, however plans to carry everybody to the identical customary as himself in working for achievement.
“This is a big challenge, but it’s a big dream of mine to be an owner and a partner at the NASCAR level with the right ownership group, and I think this is it – but it’s scary,” he mentioned.
“I’ve an awesome workforce proper now. I’m not going to say something otherwise, and I’ve been very privileged to drive for Team Penske and to have the success we’ve had.
“It’s powerful to depart that, and I don’t need to deny that in any form or type, however it is a massive dream of mine that was value leaving it for.
“It’s not a straightforward transition. I do know the work goes to be laborious and that’s scary. It’s scary to depart one thing the place you understand you may be profitable to go to a brand new alternative, however I consider on this alternative, however we now have to go do the work.
“Nobody is going to give anything to us. We have to go work for it.”
