1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s

 Around this time the two brothers started families. Bob son Scotty was born, and soon after Bob too became a family man. Kay, an Ohio girl, had moved over to Michigan and very soon she and Bob were married. In September 1981 Brian was born, and then in February 84 Brad followed. One other birth of note - on May 3rd 1981, at the Milwaukee Mile ASA meet, the famous K Automotive number 29 hit the track for the very first time, on a Dodge Aspen.

For the next few years Bob and Ron ran late model stock cars in the NASCAR Grand American Series, winning over 30 races. Bob was track champion at Toledo in 1983.

In March 1986 another era ended : Team's founder and head of the family, John, passed away a few months shy of his 70th birthday. Kay said of him "He was a wildcat racer.  Did his own thing and just really scratched the surface of the racing deal".

Bob made his ARCA series debut in 1986 at Daytona, and would race seven races that year in a #29 Chevrolet. There had been a one off race at Atlanta - (173 laps and a coil failure)  but this year saw real results, with strong 2nds at St Louis International Speedway and a few weeks later at Flat Rock. Bob Keselowski went on to score more victories, more poles, more laps led in races and more top 5 finishes than any other driver the recent history of that series.

Bob Keselowski circa 1987

Ron Keselowski was awarded the 1987 and 1992 Michigan McCord ARCA Mechanic of the Year award.  Bob, meanwhile, received driver of the year awards from Mopar Muscle Magazine and Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club. In 1989 he was the ARCA series champion and finished in the top 10 in the series point standing from 1986 through 1994. Ron Crew Chief of the Year?

August 1986. Berlin Raceway saw Bob's first ARCA victory - a racetrack that would eventually see his son Brian take his own first major victories two decades later. Victories followed at Illinois State Fairgrounds, Atlanta, Pocono, Illinois again and DeQuoin.

In 1990 at the Daytona International Speedway, he was the driver that spun off, wrecking into Kevin Gundegar, an incident that resulted in an injury paramedic Mike Staley.

A 1993 race in Springfield saw a record trying 4th win ('87,'88,'89) for Bob Keselowski after a late slip by local favorite Ken Rowley.

Photo: 1990-BLACK BANDIT KESELOWSKI ENDS TOLEDO VICTORY DROUGHT Bob Keselowski ended a long victory dry spell at Toledo Speedway by taking the Snap On Tools 125 ARCA Permatex Supercar Series race.  Keselowski, the 1983 Toledo Speedway late model division track champion, extended the string of consecutive races with different winners in the ARCA Series to 8 winners in as many races.

The K team would run full seasons at ARCA from 88 through 94. Bob even interupted the season to make his NASCAR Winston Cup debut at the wheel of Jimmy Mean's #17 Ford at Pocono Raceway. June 12th 1994. The car engine gave up on lap 17 but it still earned Bob's biggest purse to date. He beat Ward Burton at least. Rusty Wallace won that one for Roger Penske.

1989 - DODGE ENTERS OVAL RACING

Since the early 70s Chrysler departure, Cup racing had operated with just two main manufacturers, GM and Ford. At ARCA level things were different, and a number of non-factory teams operated throughout the period. ARCA also used the most famous of the MOPAR models, the awesome winged Superbird Dodge Daytona after the car was outlawed by the NASCAR rule change limiting engines to 305 Cl. Ramo Stott, in fact, won the ARCA championship in a Superbird in 1970. After the '70s, though, most of the Chryslers were LeBarons fielded by the likes of Jerry Churchill, Ron Otto, and Keselowski.

When Chrysler and its Mopar Performance Parts division wanted to make an "unofficial" entry into oval track racing, ARCA was an outlet and it was inevitable that K Automotive with all their MOPAR experience would get first refusal. Bob, who at the time was gearing up for his (successful) ARCA Supercar Series Championship year felt that only running speedway races and having only one race engine wouldn't provide the support he needed to finish as Champion. He passed on the offer, so the first official Dodge at ARCA level was Jerry Churchill's LeBaron. He caused quite a stir in 1989 when it was built at Norman Negree's North Carolina shop and tested, and eventually raced, at Atlanta. 

Mopar again contacted Keselowski after his '89 winning season and this time offered a more attractive deal, including all the engines and sheetmetal required to race an entire season. THis time Bob and Ron accepted the offer. Now Chrysler cars were seen in ARCA racing throughout the following seasons. Bob Keselowski brought his Black LeBaron home second in points and led that year's event winners with four. Also running a Dodge, Roy Payne, a driver towing all the way from Alabama for the entire ARCA schedule, not only won the rookie-of-the-year, but also a top ten points finish.

Running away with the 1990 MIS ARCA race in the Beretta (until mechanical woes).

KEVIN SCHWARZ: My most memorable race with Bob probably is ALL of them I saw him drive! Usually, wherever he started he'd head to the front, but if I had to pick one, I guess it'd be Delaware (Canada), 1991. It was so hot (like they used to say in the Johnny Carson crowd, "how hot was it?!?"); it was so hot, I saw a dude in a red outfit with horns stickin' out of his head fanning himself! Anyway, Bob just took off and left everyone with their finger up their nose! It was impressive. And afterwards, he got out, posed for pics, smiled, interviewed, stood, talked to the crowd, whatever the crowd and press needed -- pretty amazing. I always thought he was the best "all around driver", meaning, prepares well, runs well, and exits the car well, win or lose! Thanks for the memories!

Kevin witnessed a great period in Bob and Ron's career. The '91 Delaware race was the second of three consecutive podium finishes. The first at Flat Rock in June, the third at Pocono International Raceway. 

FIRST  CHRYSLER WIN The latter date was significant in that this was the first race win in a Chrysler LeBaron, which was their car from here on at ARCA level. After the agreement with MoPar the guys had just three weeks to switch his speedway car from Chevrolet to Chrysler and the hard work paid off. The #29 came home in Victory Lane! The team went on to finish 3rd in points for the year.

After winning the July 1991 Flat Rock race - Photo Kevin Schwarz

A wreck and fire at MIS, 1991

Bob and Kay with their boys in Michigan's victory lane, 1992  in the "GM Goodwrench ARCA 200"
Bob took the win in a '92 Chrysler LeBaron - a backup vehicle as the 'good car' had wrecked in a Thursday pre-qualifying practice, He took victory after chasing down race leader Jeff McLure and thanks to clever fuel strategy (every competitor made a green flag stop while the #29 ran on) ,leading the final 19 laps. The prize was his biggest to date: $16,575.

 

1993 Arca Banquet

Bob's 1991 three-peat was nearly repeated a year later. Another great win at his home track, Michigan International Speedway in June 1992, was followed by 8th place at Music City, then two straight wins at Delaware and Pocono. the latter his fourth career win at the circuit. The latter was another career winnings peak.

1990s

"My brother Ron and I both have been around racing for 50 years because we were born into this sport. When my family started racing, we knew nothing about it. My dad was a mechanic in a Ford dealership. We have done it as a family and never altered or changed it. My dad started this in 1956 and my mom still lives in the same house I was born and raised in.

I live a half a mile from there and we still frequent the same tracks we ran with my dad. Now I am doing that with my sons. I didn't realize that many years have went by. It's been a pretty neat life and career. I don't have any regrets except my dad hasn't been around for the last 20 years to see where we've gone."

Bob Keselowski, as he received the Michigan Automobile Racing Fan Club/ Eddie Sachs Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2003