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Sons Brad and Brian are also involved. Brad is the signman/statistician and Brian is a jackman and mechanic. Bob's brother Ron is the truck chief and his son Scotty just recently joined the team as a gas runner.
"Being able to travel as a family in NASCAR is a huge advantage because you are away from home a great deal," Kay said. "I get to spend a lot of time with my two sons, allowing me to keep a connection with them. We have a close-knit family. Obviously, we have a lot in common because all of my children are involved in racing somehow or another.
"Each race we go to my sons Brad and Brian are with us. When we are not racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the No. 29 Power Stroke Diesel Ford, we are racing at a local track with the boys.
"Sometimes it's difficult to keep up with the two because Brad may decide to go to one track to race his Limited Late Model and Brian may choose going to another to run his Super Late Model. So, my husband Bob goes one way and I go another. It just depends on what they decide to do."
As for Bob, he couldn't see doing things any other way.
"My family has been involved in auto racing my whole life," Bob said. "So it just seems normal for them to be around me all the time now."
John Keselowski, the patriarch of the family, was a car owner in the ARCA stock car division in the early 1960s. In their spare time, Bob and Ron worked on the car and attended as many races as possible. In 1968, Bob became the crew chief and Ron began driving on the local tracks.
In 1970, Ron moved to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. His best finish was a fourth-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in 1974, and all the while, Bob gained valuable experience as his crew chief.
In 1975, Bob and Ron changed positions, with Bob getting behind the wheel, and Ron taking over as crew chief. They started running late models at local tracks, then moved to USAC for the 1976 and 1977 seasons. During those two seasons, Bob's best finish was a seventh-place effort at Texas World Speedway.
"We have come a long way and I am very proud of where K-Automotive is today," Ron said. "I can already say that the Power Stroke Diesel Ford team has had a successful year. We have made up a lot of ground that was shaken at the beginning and we still have a lot left in us. This is a family owned single truck team and we have been competitive week in and week out. We have a great driver in Terry Cook and we have a solid team. If we can continue to be consistent, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season unfolds for us."
Under the Kelelowskis' guidance, Cook has won four times this season and is in second place in the NCTS points chase, 34 behind Mike Bliss heading into the Sears 175 Aug. 25 at Chicago Motor Speedway.
"There is no doubt that winning the championship is our ultimate goal," Bob said. "And it would mean even more because there are so many family members working on this truck team."
Brian takes a lot of pride in the team's success.
"I have been working towards the team since I was only 12," Brian said. "When I first started out I was not allowed to go into the pits. I progressed to where I could be in the pits, but I was not allowed over the wall. Early on in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, I started as jack man right off the bat because they didn't have anybody else to do it.
"Nobody believed that I could do it and neither did I. It's a job where to have to be exceptionally sharp and if you don't pay attention to detail you can mess up in a hurry. That position used to be more difficult in the beginning because the jack man had to help put the tires on because you had only one tire carrier.
"Now, it's a little easier, but faster paced. We used to have only two pit stops, but now we have four and you have to be on your game at all times because if you lose one spot it can cost you the entire race."
Brad echoed his brother's comments.
"It is great be able to work alongside family members, especially when you win and do as well as we have this season," Brad said. "I don't think I would change a thing."
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