Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar-Korrespondent
Mid-season change at RFK Racing: Brad Keselowski gets a new crew chief ahead of the Kansas race.
RFK Racing and crew chief Jeremy Bullins are going their separate ways effective immediately. The team said the split was amicable. Bullins is leaving the No. 6 Brad Keselowski car to take on a different role within the NASCAR Cup Series. Mike Skarbowski, who had been race engineer and overseeing all three of RFK Racing's operations, takes over as crew chief starting with the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
A Change in the Middle of the Season
Mid-season crew chief changes always send a signal in the Cup Series, regardless of how amicably they happen. At RFK Racing, the shift comes at a time when Keselowski sits 18th in points for 2026, falling short of what the team expects. When a team fields one of its founders as a driver, those kinds of results sting doubly.
Bullins isn't leaving the sport entirely; he's taking on a different role within the Cup Series, according to the team. That sets this split apart from a typical firing: both sides describe it as an amicable decision, with no suggestion of conflict.
From Race Engineer to the Pit Box
Mike Skarbowski is no stranger to the RFK operation. As race engineer, he most recently oversaw the entire three-car operation and knows both the pit box procedures and the technical details of the car Keselowski has been fighting with for points. The internal promotion suggests RFK Racing is betting on continuity in vehicle philosophy and sees this as a change in leadership rather than a complete rebuild of the crew structure.
His first race as crew chief for the No. 6 comes at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. A mile-and-a-half oval with tight traffic during restarts isn't the worst testing ground for a new pit box pairing, but it's also not a place where you get a long runway to work things out.
What the Change Means for Keselowski
For Keselowski, this is about more than just a different name calling the shots. As both driver and co-owner of RFK Racing, his 18th-place standing carries double weight, on both the sporting and business sides. A mid-season crew chief change probably reads less as a crisis move and more as an attempt to bring fresh thinking to the pit box for the second half of the season.
Whether Skarbowski can provide the spark the No. 6 needs will take several race weekends to answer, not just one in Kansas. For Keselowski and RFK Racing, the reality remains unchanged: without significant improvement in points, the path to the playoffs narrows week by week.
