Brad Keselowski Discloses His Kyle Petty Favoritism Behind Ignoring Loyalty to NASCAR’s Polish-American Icon

Brad Keselowski might be a NASCAR champion and team owner today, but like most racing fans, his journey started as a kid with a favorite driver. You'd think that growing up in a racing family—where his dad, Bob Keselowski, and uncle, Ron Keselowski, were already competing in the NASCAR scene—Brad would have naturally gravitated toward a family favorite or someone with a shared heritage.

In a recent interview with YouTuber Stapleton42, Brad took a nostalgic drive down memory lane. The conversation turned to his early days as a NASCAR fan when Brad revealed a surprising inspiration: his childhood loyalty wasn't to the family's Polish-American racing hero but rather to someone else entirely—Kyle Petty. And it all started with an iconic movie and a really cool-looking car.

Days of Thunder, paint schemes, and a childhood hero Picture this: it's the early '90s, and a young Brad Keselowski is glued to the TV screen, wide-eyed and completely captivated. The movie Days of Thunder has just hit the scene, and for little Brad, it was love at first sight—but not with Tom Cruise. Nope, it was all about that slick, 1992 black-green-and-yellow Mello Yello car. "I was always a Kyle Petty fan," Brad confessed, a grin spreading across his face. "I was about five years old when 'Days of Thunder' came out. It had the Mello Yello car, and I thought that car was just so cool."

At that age, Brad wasn't even paying attention to the drivers; it was all about the paint schemes. "I didn't know drivers' names yet," he laughed. "I just knew the cars. And when I saw that car, I was like, 'That's the car from the movie!' I became a fan of the car, and then eventually learned it was Kyle Petty's. From there, I just became a fan of Kyle."

But Petty's 1991 season was a wild ride. He was on a roll, running eleventh in points until a crash at Talladega left him with a broken leg. That sidelined him for eleven races and dashed what was shaping up to be a great year. He ended up way down in 31st place in the standings. But the following year was the stuff of legend.

In 1992, Kyle Petty came back with a vengeance. He snagged two wins—one at Watkins Glen, the other at Rockingham—and finished a career-best fifth in the standings. Little Brad Keselowski was glued to his TV, watching every twist and turn. Petty was even a contender for the championship that year until some bad luck hit—a flat tire at Phoenix and a blown engine in the final race. The blow-out unfortunately kept him from going head-to-head with Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki for the title, but that didn't matter to young Brad. Petty was cemented in his mind.

Even when Petty's momentum slowed down in the following seasons, Brad's loyalty never wavered. Petty lost the Mello Yello sponsorship in 1994, switching to Coors Light in 1995, but for Brad, it was always about the driver, not the sponsor. He watched as Petty grabbed his final Cup Series win at Dover that same year. "I just went with it," Brad laughed. "It was still Kyle, so it was still cool."

The flashy paint schemes, the dramatic comebacks, and those iconic races—Petty's style left an indelible mark on a young Keselowski, shaping his love for NASCAR in the most unexpected ways.

Why Alan Kulwicki never stood a chance Given Brad Keselowski's family history, you'd think he would've been all about the late great Alan Kulwicki, the ultimate Polish-American underdog who became a NASCAR legend. But by the time Brad was old enough to know drivers' names, his heart was already set on Kyle Petty's flashy rides.

Mello Yello was Cole Trickle's but Keselowski wasn't fickle. When Stapleton42 asked if he ever felt drawn to Kulwicki because of their shared Polish heritage, Brad was honest. "A little bit," he admitted, "but by that time, I was already into Kyle Petty, so it was kind of hard."

As he stood outside his old Detroit house, Brad painted a vivid picture of his early days as a racing fan. "I still remember watching races in our tiny living room," he said, pointing through the windows of his childhood home. "We had one chair, a couch, and a little bit of floor space. My spot was the floor, right in front of the TV. I remember watching the '92 championship race right there on that floor."

For Brad, those memories are more than just a nostalgic trip—they're a reminder of how his love for racing started. The 1992 season was one for the ages, with Alan Kulwicki clinching the Cup Series title in dramatic fashion. But even with that historic championship run, Kulwicki couldn't steal Brad's heart away from Kyle Petty.

Fast forward to today, and Brad Keselowski has come a long way from that kid watching races on the floor of his parent's living room. He's not just a Cup Series champion; he's also co-owner of RFK Racing and someone who's earned the respect of his hero.

When Kyle Petty hung up his racing helmet, he didn't stray far from the track. Instead, he jumped into a new gig as a NASCAR commentator and analyst for NBC Sports, where he's been a staple ever since. Petty has always had a lot of good things to say about Brad Keselowski, especially praising Brad's impact as both a driver and a team owner. Kyle appreciates Keselowski's straight-shooter attitude and willingness to speak his mind—something Petty himself was known for during his racing days.

The two have had plenty of fun exchanges on NASCAR broadcasts over the years, swapping stories and debating everything from race strategy to current events in the sport. For Brad, the admiration isn't just one-sided. He grew up idolizing Petty, and that respect has only grown with time. Brad values everything Kyle has done for NASCAR, both behind the wheel and behind the mic. And honestly? It's clear that the respect goes both ways.

So while many might have expected young Brad to rally behind the Polish-American hero Alan Kulwicki, his heart was set on Kyle Petty and that iconic Mello Yello car. And honestly, who can blame him? When you're a kid, sometimes all it takes is one cool car to make you a lifelong fan.