"One of the most anxious moments": Brad Keselowski on being below the playoff cutline ahead of the elimination race at Bristol

Brad Keselowski has shared what it's like being below the playoff threshold. The RFK Racing driver made the playoffs but is lingering in the bubble, with one race to decide his fate, at Bristol.

Of the two drivers on RFK's roster - Chris Buescher and Keselowski - the latter secured the playoff berth while the former missed his chance by 0.001 seconds at the Kansas Speedway. Keselowski's #6 Ford has bagged the Darlington win and has collected eight top-5s and 12 top-10s, punching his playoff ticket.

Though Keselowski clinched the 2012 Cup Series championship and was a runner-up in 2020, he went through the thick and thin of not being in the playoffs in 2022, his first year with RFK. After a dismal show in both playoff races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International, the 40-year-old is below the threshold and, according to him, it's "one of the most anxious moments."

He expressed the feeling of being in the elimination zone through a cameo in NASCAR's presentation.

"Being below the playoff cutoff line, it's one of the most anxious moments of your life. I've been fortunate enough to win my way out of that (entering the playoffs) hole. I've been on the other side of it, those are tough days that test you to the fullest extent as a person and as a team. And when it goes your way, it's one of the most rewarding feelings you'll ever have. When it doesn't go your way, it's sheer disappointment," Keselowski said.

Brad Keselowski is currently 12 points below the cutline.

Brad Keselowski suffered a brutal setback after wrecking with William Byron at Watkins Glen

Chris Buescher surged from a 24th-place start to etching his maiden Cup win this season, while his teammate, Keselowski's Watkins Glen race went from bad to worse. The latter kicked off his run from 28th place and suffered a setback on the opening lap, but the brutal one came on Lap 83.

After the Go Bowling! at the Glen was green flagged, Corey LaJoie wrecked into Kyle Busch at the inner loop between turns 4 and 5, also known as 'Bus Stop,' and the latter spun out, blocking the passage. Keselowski couldn't escape the mess and joined Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., among others.

Moving forward, ten laps before the checkered flag dropped, Keselowski and Joey Logano battled for the lead. But as the duo steered through the esses on Turn 4, the former's #6 Ford was sent into Byron's #24 Chevy, approaching from the left high. As a result, the Hendrick Motorsports driver ended up atop the RFK Racing driver's Ford.

Brad Keselowski will now be seen at the Food City 500 hosted by the Bristol Motor Speedway. From the last five outings at the 'World's Fastest Half Mile' oval, the Michigan native has bagged one pole, three top-10s, and a top-5, last year.