Brad Keselowski remains buried in the Cup Series standings, but he remains optimistic about his path to the playoffs as his team has continued to showcase improved performance. In fact, he has circled a test at Gateway as something that could be a key factor for him and the No. 6 RFK Racing team.
Keselowski is one of three drivers who took part in a Goodyear tire test at Gateway -- also known as World Wide Technology Raceway -- between trips to Pocono Raceway and EchoPark Speedway. He joined Kyle Larson (Chevrolet) and John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota).
Testing is rare in the NASCAR Cup Series, so this provided Keselowski with a big opportunity to complete hundreds of laps while gaining information that he could use at multiple tracks on the schedule. This includes a pivotal regular-season race.
"We're testing Tuesday and Wednesday at Gateway," Keselowski told Danielle Trotta, Carl Edwards, and Corey LaJoie during the Prime Video post-race show. "I think Gateway carries over to Iowa (Speedway).
"We just need like that much to win," Keselowski added. "Our pit crews have done a great job on pit road -- they're fast and they're not making mistakes. We hope we can keep that up. If we can just find that little bit more, that will take us to victory lane."
On paper, the tracks aren't identical. Iowa Speedway is a .875-mile oval while Gateway is a 1.25-mile oval. The Iowa turns have 12-14 degrees of banking, the frontstretch has 10 degrees of banking, and the backstretch has four degrees.
Gateway's Turns 1 and 2 have 11 degrees of banking. Turns 3 and 4 are slightly flatter to match Phoenix Raceway. This track just outside of St. Louis is an egg-shaped oval whereas Iowa is more of a traditional shape.
Despite these differences, both ovals require teams to bring cars that can properly tackle the different turns. Handling is a major point of emphasis.
The No. 6 team brought strong cars to both tracks last season. He led 17 laps during the race at Gateway, and he finished third. Two races later, he finished 10th in the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa after leading five laps.
Keselowski expects to remain competitive at both of these tracks, which could be crucial if he wins his way from 30th in the Cup Series standings into the playoffs. Gateway is now the middle race of the Round of 16. It could present an opportunity for Keselowski to win his way into the Round of 12.