Brad Keselowski 2024 'Castrol Throwback' Mustang

The 2024 season was perhaps, one of the most important ever for single time Cup champion Brad Keselowski. After making a clean break from Team Penseke following the 2021 season to become a part owner at RFK, the question lingered for three long seasons. Can Brad still win? After an eventful day at Darlington the answer was a dramatic 'yes.' For more, read on...

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Brad took to social media on April 30th, 2024 to announce his selection for the Darlington throwback weekend. In the video, Brad reviews some of the most well-known Castrol liveries using diecast cars from across various forms of motorsport.

Long before either Nissan or Toyota came to prominence in the U.S, both companies spent decades competing hard against one another in the emerging road racing GT series in Japan. An upstart racing enthusiast and a Japanese car dealer joined together to form Tachi Oiwa Motorsports, or Tom's. Tom's was truly a catalyst for Toyota's racing achievement in GT racing and that success is remembered in this really cool throwback. For more on this interesting history, check out this video.

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The real thing: Brad Keselowski enjoys a victory lap after winning the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on May13th, 2024. (Photography courtesy of Getty Images)

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​​As always, my scoring is based on success in three categories and a final recommendation point. Up to 3 points are awarded for quality paint and printing on the model. Up to 3 more points are given for quality moulding and assembly quality. Up to 3 more points are given for historical significance and 'cool factor' and a final point is given if the car has earned my recommendation.

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Paint and Printing: (2/3)
The RFK number 6 Castrol Mustang features a white base coat that is consistent from bumper to bumper. From there, parallel green and red flourishes adorn the hood, the quarter panels, and the roof rails. These flourishes are features that truly connect this car with the one it's trying to emulate. They are simple, but truly well done, and there should be recognition for it. There's a black splitter, black rocker box panels, and a black spoiler. Each of these features have good detailing, especially the rocker box, and the spoiler. I do wish that Lionel did a more effective job of illustrating the side vents that exist after the exhaust port on the rocker boxes, but that's not worth deducting points for. 

The race car also has several premium features that are standard with 2024 Gold Line 1/64s. The front and rear windshields have name banners, OEM affiliate branding, and show support sections as well. The model also has the correct white Goodyear Eagle logos on the tires which are standard on all cars at the Darlington Throwback event. 

Lionel has been offering foil numbers on 1/64 cars but at a slight upcharge. I think this is certainly price gouging, but since Lionel is the only game in town, and they know the customers are already willing to spend over $10 dollars on a 1/64, most are probably willing to spend one more in order to get the foil numbers. I am fine with the up charge as long as you get the job done neatly, but I still struggle with the overall price point of the Gold Line 1/64s relative to other 1/64 brands.

Also found on the car body are the team's various other affiliates, Consumer Cellular, Fastenal, WeBuildSubmarines, Mac Tools, Siemens, and other Nascar mainstays are present on the livery. You can also spot the special Nascar throwback weekend decals, the driver name above the door, and the RFK team logo. These are all really nice, but there are a few issues that will cost this car a point.

It's hard to make out on these pictures, (easier to see on some of the photos further down) but there are a few gritty areas on the door panels where the base coat wasn't applied perfectly. This has been an issue on the Authentics line as well, so it's frustrating to see here. Also, if I'm going to be asked to pay more money for the foil numbers, at least apply them correctly. It's conversely, easy to see how the number 6 on the right side is clearly slanted by at least 2 degrees. The 3-arch RFK logo that is always on the lower door panel leading to the rear wheel is also not right, the bands become squiggly as they fade backward. It is a very small detail, but still detectable, and not correct. (-1)

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Mould and Assembly: (3 Points/3)
I'll be honest, I'm not here to champion the latest Ford Mustang. The Dark Horse front end section just does not appeal to me. It seems too big, it makes the nose seem less aerodynamic, and in this scale it really opens up the opportunity for the whole front section to be askew. That tends to be more of a printing issue, but the fact remains, this can make purchasing any Gold Line 2024-2025 Ford sight unseen, a bit risky. This can be true on any 1/64, but is going to be most prevalent here.

The most important subsection in this category however is the quality of the mould, and how well the car's ten or so pieces are put together. While I don't love the look of the Mustang, Lionel did a great job with the casting. A bonus of this most recent Cup series Ford, is that Lionel took down the height of the roof rails. So, this casting is perhaps one of the most accurate we've ever had from Lionel. The fender flares about the front wheels are a standout detail.

The best news altogether is that this model avoids the all too common, warped chassis issues. The race car sits nice and level on the table. It has a nice, low stance and looks good from just about every angle. The internal components also are looking good. The main internal frame section seems to be free of any defects or problems. The wheels all spin well and don't wobble. The windshield inserts sit precisely where they are ment to, so there's no loose fittings here either, job well done. 

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Historical Significance and Cool Factor: (2.5 Points/3)

To say that Brad's win came in dramatic fashion is certainly an understatement. He was in the right place at the right time, when his teammate Chris Buesher in the 17, and 23XL competitor Tyler Reddick in the number 45, door slammed each other out of contention in turn 4. Brad was able to easily navigate around both of the wounded vehicles to secure a huge win. This isn't a raced version of that car however, so I'm not going to get into the deeper details of that race, or what the win statistically meant for Brad, and RFK. 

The goal of this section is to declare the historical  significance and cool factor of the model. I'm confident in saying that it deserves two of the three stars. I think if this was the raced version, it would earn all three, but I can't give this car the same score I'd give the raced edition, right?

On one hand, this car as it is, is more of a celebration of TOM's than it is Brad K. or Castrol, or RFK. In the eyes of the majority of Nascar 1/64 scale collectors, that makes it less important. But to the overall racing enthusiast, it should score a bit higher. 

A big portion of the cool factor to me is the activation. And I think when you look at the entire story, RFK sets the stage perfectly. For that perhaps a half point swing here is ok (2.5/3)

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Conclusion and Recommendation: ( 1 Point/1)

The more popular version is certainly going to be the raced-won addition. That is available in both scales (Gold Line and Authentics in 1/64), and displays some incredible detail.  But this clean version tells a really interesting story about the racing competition between Nissan and Toyota, manifested on a Ford. Not only is there a great deal of history that can be explored for the story of the livery, but there's also the success story of Brad Keselowski. This is a great little model for any collection!

Final Score 8.5/10

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Sources:
-DarlingtonRaceway.com/Brad Keselowski breaks 110-race drought with dramatic Darlington win/By staffreport