Breaking It Down: Can Brad Keselowski still rally to make the playoffs?

The 2012 Cup champion is mired in 30th place and hasn't won even one race yet this season. If he wins one of the next six, though, he makes the playoffs, potentially.

Sometimes in racing, it takes a bit of a wake-up call to get out of a slump. For Brad Keselowski, a door slam from an angry Austin Dillon may have been just what he needed to turn things around for himself and his RFK Racing crew this season.

Keselowski’s seventh-place finish in Sunday’s Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor marked his best finish since becoming an owner-driver at the start of the season. Given the difficulties the team faced throughout the race and the season, Sunday’s triumph may be one of Keselowski’s proudest top-10 finishes out of the 230 that he has accumulated in his career.

Initially, the race had the makings of yet another mediocre run for Keselowski and the No. 6 team. After starting ninth, Keselowski hovered around the top-15 for most of the first two stages. Nothing seemed memorable or usual about Keselowski’s day until Lap 163, when Austin Dillon came knocking for retribution.

As the field ran under caution for Kyle Busch’s spin, Dillon drove up alongside Keselowski and blatantly drove right into the driver’s side of the former Team Penske star's car.

Taken aback by the aggression under caution, Keselowski returned the favor twofold, by slamming Dillon even harder. The beating and banging continued down the backstretch, to which point both drivers had to sacrifice any track position they had to come in and repair their cars.

Although it remains unclear what exactly triggered Dillon, Keselowski did admit they made light contact on an earlier restart. While it typically takes more to spark an on-track confrontation -- especially one under caution -- that contact was apparently all it took to set Dillon off.

After the race, Keselowski -- rather diplomatically -- explained to reporters that he felt the weather had something to do with their scrum, saying, “When it’s hot in the cars, it ain’t no cooler in the helmets. We’re all probably guilty from time to time of letting our anger get to us.”

After the incident, Keselowski drove as if Dillon’s hit had knocked some speed into the car. He began to methodically work his way through the field, slowly but surely. After getting back within the top-15, Keselowski benefitted from the alternative pit strategies that led to several of the leaders pitting under green, allowing him to collect track position late in the race.

With enough fuel to make it to the finish, Keselowski enjoyed the gains of his team’s strategy call and cruised to his afore-mentioned best finish of the season.

The strong run comes at the perfect time as there are just six races until the playoffs, which leaves the door open for Keselowski and the No. 6 team to still turn their season around.

No matter how you slice it, Keselowski’s first year as a driver-owner has been abysmal. After an impressive RFK Racing sweep of the Duels in the preseason, the team has suffered from either bad luck or a lack of speed seemingly all throughout the season.

Keselowski started the season off great with a win in the Duels, but it's been downhill ever since. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Growing pains are a harsh reality for owner-drivers, but at this point RFK Racing is in desperate need of some solid runs to build upon. Whether a morale boost, a proof of ability, or just a stroke of luck, Sunday’s run has the potential to be a pivotal moment in the season if Keselowski and crew can string some strong runs together going into the playoffs.

Unfortunately, it is going to take more than just strong runs to make the playoffs. After receiving a 100-point penalty for unapproved fabrications earlier in the season and his highest average finish since his rookie year, Keselowski finds himself tied for 30th in the standings, the last spot to maintain eligibility for a playoff berth.

That said, all it takes is a win to fix everything in this series. With only two spots open for drivers to make it in on points, Keselowski’s only ticket to the playoffs is through a trip to victory lane. In this essence, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Can things turn around for Keselowski and RFK Racing? If so, watch out. The 2012 NASCAR Cup champ could turn the playoff picture upside down and his first season as an owner completely around if he can get in with a win and he’s proven that he has the talent to do it.

With wins at three of the next six tracks, to go along with some of the best superspeedway ability in the Cup Series garage, Keselowski is a threat to the playoff picture until the checkered flag waves at Daytona next month. Consider all the other big names that are fighting for their spot in the playoffs and the sport is shaping up to have its most exciting regular season in this format’s history.

As with any feel-good run from a struggling team, Sunday can either be a turning point or an outlier on their season. The fans know Keselowski has the talent to turn the tide, but with his back already up against the wall, the question remains:

Will it be too little too late?