Brad Keselowski & Co Take a Veiled Dig at British OEM’s Latest Gaffe Amid NASCAR’s Heightened 4th Manufacturer Search

NASCAR has been flirting with the idea of a fourth manufacturer for years. While plenty of names have been linked to the sport, Honda stands out above all others. Even though NASCAR President Steve Phelps has remained coy about its discussions with several OEMs, it is known that one is “close” to joining the sport. Amidst the speculation, Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing has taken to social media to share a veiled joke.

With Jaguar facing severe backlash because of its latest advertisement, Keselowski’s Cup Series team took a dig at the British motorsports brand, prompting hilarious reactions from fans. However, could RFK Racing be hinting at the British OEM potentially joining NASCAR?

RFK Racing makes fun at Jaguar’s expense

It seems like Jaguar is completely rebranding itself. The British luxury vehicle company recently released a colorful new advertisement which also featured a new logo. However, the ad received immediate blowback online, as fans and anti-’woke’ critics criticized the lack of cars being showcased with the focus primarily being on the diversity of the models. The car company also unveiled a revamped logo, featuring a simpler font, which may have been the inspiration for RFK Racing’s social media post.

Brad Keseowski’s team uploaded a tweet with the caption, “New logo?”, featuring the existing RFK Racing design and another one with a pink hue. The font used in the new logo is eerily similar to the one featured in the Jaguar advertisement, as the team went on to follow an existing social media trend to increase its online engagement. The British car company has been subjected to plenty of veiled digs recently, with X owner Elon Musk going as far as to ask, “Do you sell cars?”, highlighting the absence of their products in their latest promotional video.

There has been plenty of speculation regarding a fourth manufacturer joining NASCAR over the years. Ever since Dodge left the racing series, the sport has only had Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota at the highest level, while Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern has claimed that talks with Honda have been going on. NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell has gone as far as to say that the competition for the fourth manufacturer is “heating up”, resulting in plenty of speculation about the possible companies that could enter the stock car world.

As things stand, Honda is a part of the NTT IndyCar Series. The Japanese manufacturer has also been supplying Red Bull Racing with engines in Formula 1 and is familiar with the demands that come with an elite motorsports competition. NASCAR President Steve Phelps said that five manufacturers would be ideal for the sport, which leaves the door open to two OEMs potentially joining in the future.

Meanwhile, fans piled on Jaguar’s misery under RFK Racing’s post on X.

NASCAR fans react to RFK Racing’s veiled joke

As expected, it didn’t take long for NASCAR fans to express their views after RFK Racing uploaded the tweet on X. The ‘new logo’ was recognized immediately as a dig at the British luxury company, which prompted one fan to write, “Sponsored by the new Jaguar??”. Looking at the pink hues, the font style, and the color combination, another fan expressed his disapproval at the logo by saying, “😝 yeah no. Let’s not jaguar this thing up.”

With talks regarding a fourth manufacturer going on in the background, one fan questioned Jaguar’s reliability if it does enter the sport, going on to say, “@Jaguar is the new @NASCAR manufacturer? Should be interesting seeing the electrical systems bursting into flames all the time.” Echoing that sentiment, another fan sarcastically wrote, “Love it!!! No one expected jaguar to be the new OEM interested in NASCAR”, even though no reports suggest that the British luxury vehicle company is interested in stock car racing.

However, not every fan understood RFK Racing’s joke. An X user strongly opposed the ‘new logo’ by writing, “HELL NO!!! The old one 10x better” and he wasn’t alone in strongly opposing the prospect of the team’s rebrand. Finding it hilarious that plenty of fans didn’t get the racing team’s veiled dig at Jaguar, a NASCAR fan went on to say, “The amount of people who don’t get the reference is comical”.