Brad Keselowski is conflicted about NASCAR returning in May. ‘Should we do it?’

Brad Keselowski was a few minutes late for his afternoon interview with The Observer. He apologized — he was a little busy playing outside with his two daughters, four-year-old Scarlett and four-month-old Autumn.

“It’s been a full day of social distancing,” Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Ford Mustang, said.

The Team Penske driver has done more with his time off than social distance. Keselowski’s Statesville-based company, Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM), is utilizing its production capabilities to 3D print face shields for hospitals short on supplies during the coronavirus pandemic, following the example of Ford and other autosports manufacturers.

Keselowski, ranked 10th in NASCAR Cup Series points standings, said his company is closing in on its goal of printing 500 face shields.

“It turned into other companies asking us to help them with making molds for the face shields, so that just kind of graduated,” Keselowski said.

In addition to being “full-in” on family time and his business priorities, Keselowski said he has spent some time practicing in the simulator rig. (He finally got his own setup last week.) During Sunday’s Pro Invitational eNASCAR race, the virtual series televised in place of real racing with the NASCAR season postponed, Keselowski made a jump to a 10th-place finish, quite the jump from his previous two virtual races in which he finished 25th and 24th, respectively.

“Brad Keselowski is definitely improving,” said back-to-back virtual race winner William Byron. “He’s been running up there in the top three or four consistently, so I’ve been impressed with him and (Kyle Busch).”

Keselowski spoke with the Observer about his quick rise in esports, his work at KAM and feeling conflicted about a potential return to the real track next month.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Alex Andrejev: You had a successful run at (virtual) Richmond on Sunday. How much time did you spend practicing?

Brad Keselowski: Last week, a bunch, but before then, none at all. I didn’t have my own (simulator rig) before last week. I bought one to try to be a little better. I was quite honestly a little bit embarrassed by my showing the week before and just wanted to be better.

AA: What were you using before?

BK: I was on the beg, borrow and steal program. So I went over to somebody’s house and just raced on that. It’s hard to be good that way. You’ve got to really commit yourself to be successful when you’re racing people that are really good.

AA: How often did you get in on the sessions with other drivers?

BK: Not a lot, but a little. I ran a handful of hours (last week). I try to find balance. I’ve got two young kids and I’m trying to enjoy time with them and not get overly caught up in it and treat it like it’s a real thing, but I am trying to be good at it, too. It’s a balance.

AA: So if you’re only spending a little time practicing compared to some of these other guys, what’s made you successful recently? The new rig?

BK: The specific track I went to — Richmond — is probably one of my better tracks, so I’m sure that didn’t hurt at all. But also just building a feeling and being comfortable with where all the buttons at knobs are. That’s all really important to be good at it. It’s so much different than the real thing. It’s like learning how to walk again.

AA: Your manufacturing company, KAM, has been involved with COVID-19 response and producing face shields. How did that production start?

BK: It’s a little bit inspired by Ford, which was making face shields, and some other companies that were, too. I watched their success and thought, ‘Well, that’s pretty cool. We should try to do what we can.’ It turned into other companies asking us to help them with making molds for the face shields, so that just kind of graduated. I don’t know where we’ll go next, but I’m enjoying the ride.

AA: How many shields has KAM produced? My understanding is that you have 3D printers for plastic and metals.

BK: Exactly. Predominantly we do metals. We have one plastic machine and our goal was to build 500 shields, so we’re closing in on that but we still have a little bit of work to do. We were targeting the end of this month for those shields. The first batch went to the Lewisville Fire Department and we’re working through where the next batch is gonna go.

AA: Is this something KAM is going to continue doing once the NASCAR season resumes if there’s still a need for equipment at hospitals?

BK: I think we probably will. It’s too early to tell. Our goal was to hit 500, so once we hit 500 we were going to stop because 3D printing is not the best way to actually make these. It’s the best way to make them in the short term, but in the long term, there are other technologies that are probably more cost effective. The mold-making stuff, 3D printing is a great fit for long term stuff, but there are only so many molds you need. We use the metal printers to make the molds and the plastic printers for the shields.

AA: As a driver and business owner, what do you think about how, where and when racing is going to return? Do you think it makes sense for NASCAR to start running races in May like it wants? What do you think of that timeline?

BK: I’m terribly conflicted. I think it’s important that we do things to get back going as fast as we can, but then on the same token, I really don’t want to see anyone get sick that shouldn’t get sick when it’s preventable, so I’m really torn. I really sympathize for those who have to make these decisions because there’s really not a good option. We can’t keep sitting around doing nothing, because we’re draining vital resources and quite frankly, we can’t afford it. But on the flip side, we also have a responsibility to each other to not expose one another to harmful contagions and that’s part of our responsibility as a community. Those two things seem to be at odds. I know that’s not really a clear answer, but I don’t know if there is a clear answer.

AA: NASCAR said it wants to return to racing without fans in May. It seems that would still require a lot of COVID-19 testing and protocol for the teams, crew members and other personnel around the track. Do you think it’s realistic that live racing can be safely executed having that many people out there still?

BK: That part doesn’t particularly concern me. What concerns me is not the, ‘Can we do it?’ It’s the, ‘Should we do it?’ I think clearly we can.

AA: Speaking of scheduled races, I want to circle back to next weekend’s iRace at Talladega. What are your expectations for that?

BK: To get wrecked. A lot. We can’t run Talladega in the real cars without wrecking each other. It’s doubtful we won’t be able to do that in the sim cars. We’ll just have to play it as it comes.

AA: How do you feel about the number of resets? Last week there were none for Richmond. What do you want to see for Talladega?

BK: I like the idea of not having resets because it keeps the drivers from running like jerks. And at the end of the game, it’s better for everybody.

AA: Do you think you’ll be able to get up into the top three next week?

BK: Yeah, we’ve got a very good shot of doing that. I think last week at Richmond, you could argue that we should have been third or fourth, so yeah, I think it’s got a great opportunity to do that.

AA: How have you been spending your time quarantined?

BK: I’m full-in on family time and my business at KAM. That’s a work-in-progress on all fronts with having a new daughter and all that stuff. It’s a blessing as well. I’m trying to think of the obstacle as a way, so to speak, and take advantage of the opportunities that this provides us. It’s easy to get caught up on the bad things, but I’d rather focus on the good opportunities that come from this.

AA: Have you had to do any homeschooling? How is it being a teacher?

BK: Well I give my wife (Paige) credit. She’s doing more than me. I teach the physical stuff. She teaches the schooling stuff.

AA: So you’re the gym teacher?

BK: Yeah! There you go.