NEW YORK -- Brad Keselowski has a way of making race fans think.

They certainly won't agree with him all of the time -- and a certain faction won't agree with him much of the time, if at all -- but the way he looks at an issue can rank as unique and unconventional, especially in a garage where being outspoken can create a polarizing personality.

Take this week for example. Keselowski can make people think even when he doesn't know what to think.

Consider the recent NASCAR switcheroo on its postrace measurement station. On Wednesday, NASCAR retroactively eliminated its first two levels of penalties, increasing the tolerance for drivers to have legal cars but making it a 35-point, three-race crew-chief suspension penalty for any breach of that tolerance. Coming with that would be the inability to use the win to advance in the Chase.

With the decision, NASCAR opted not to penalize Chicagoland winner Martin Truex Jr. and 12th-place Jimmie Johnson, who had faced 10-point penalties. The reason NASCAR stated was that the penalties weren't equitable -- Truex, who had won, would still advance to the next round, but Johnson would lose 10 points that could keep him out.

"I haven't really figured exactly how I feel about it yet," Keselowski said Thursday between media stops in New York City to promote the Chase. "There were parts of me that really liked it, parts of me that really disliked it. I'm trying to take a step back and see the whole picture and maybe not doing the best job at that."

What does he mean? When asked how he felt about his fifth-place finish at Chicagoland to open the Chase, his response dripped with a frustration.

"I felt like we ran pretty good based on our understanding of the rules coming into the race," he said wryly.

In other words, at least for the cars that passed postrace tech, as Keselowski's did, it could be considered that those drivers were treated unfairly. They played under a different set of rules from that of Truex and Johnson.

"[Were we] beat solely by that? Probably not," Keselowski said. "Contributing factor? Absolutely. It's not insignificant at all. You have to understand there's a tolerance built in [for us to stay within]."

Keselowski considers NASCAR's decision a short-term play and expects different rules come 2017.

"The reality is the cars are designed with parts that are made to fail," he said. "Short of becoming IROC [with cars that are all the same], NASCAR can't police it. The teams have come to them and begged them to stop it because it is expensive, labor intensive and also hurts competition because it makes it harder to pass.

"NASCAR took a stab at it, and I felt like they were on the right path to changing the culture of our sport, and now we're not going that way anymore."

The Team Penske driver, the 2012 champion, believes drivers and teams will flirt with that 35-point penalty and suspension. A championship hangs in the balance.

But the penalty is big, isn't it?

"And so is the reward," Keselowski responded. "That's what you're going to have to do. We're not worried about the penalty. We're worried about the reward."

The other part of his view that will make people think is Keselowski's reminder that if Truex had been penalized and then failed to make the semifinal or championship rounds, then Truex would suffer a 10-point penalty. Drivers who get knocked out of the Chase have their points reset to 2,000 plus points earned (and minus points penalized) during the Chase.

"It's big if you don't make it into Homestead," Keselowski said. "Everybody seems to forget that point, conveniently."

In Keselowski's world, every spot matters. So don't come to him with the argument that it's either win a championship or bust and that finishing fifth, sixth, seventh or 16th doesn't matter.

Brad Keselowski, left, finished fifth at Chicagoland while Martin Truex Jr. went on to win. Robert Laberge/Getty Images

"It does matter to me," Keselowski said. "I don't agree with that [claim that points position doesn't matter] at all."

Keselowski knows that others won't see it the same way. If NASCAR had gone through with the penalties, there would have been a huge perception issue that Truex cheated and won. Keselowski understands that but has a hard time not feeling that the rules weren't enforced as written going into the event.

It could be argued that Keselowski doesn't see the big picture. But Keselowski has shown the ability to look beyond the trees. Not many drivers are writing blogs about Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest, as he did last week.

Keselowski's essay on Kaepernick was titled "Truth and Grace" and talked about his self-reflection and self-education on the issue.

"There's a balancing act between the responsibility that I feel and acknowledgment that some fans don't want to be force-fed," Keselowski said about inserting his opinion into the debate.

"They want to escape. And the blog is an incredible outlet to kind of appease both sides of not being silent to important matters in society but also not forcing it down people's throats."

To summarize, Keselowski said that, although he believes there is truth to Kaepernick's message, the national anthem is a time when the military families Keselowski knows believe the country stands behind the work of their loved ones. He felt there was a more graceful way to protest, one that would not hurt people who have already gone through hell.

The protests and unrest after a police shooting in Charlotte give him a similar vibe.

"[The blog] certainly applies," Keselowski said. "I think whether there's truth or not, that could be a long argument. I think there is some truth.

"But I think there is no argument about grace."

That blog also showed that Keselowski is not afraid to address issues, in his blog or on Twitter with fans amid the Chase. Through owning a Camping World Truck Series team -- with one of his drivers in the truck Chase, on top of that -- Keselowski appears to have distraction after distraction, with much of that self-created.

His sister used to run his race team, and day-to-day management duties now are handled by Jeremy Thompson, who has Keselowski's full trust.

"Staying in business is a constant chore," Keselowski said. "The great thing is I've got it set up to where I can have input as needed but it doesn't rely on me to run it.

"That's a function of having great people. It has to be able to run itself without me, but, when I want to run it, I need to be able to do it."

Wouldn't it be better if he just focused on racing himself the next couple of months?

"It's a novel idea," Keselowski said. "It's not a reality in the least. If that was the reality, I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

Good point. So, why does Keselowski think differently?

"Maybe I'm messed up in the head," Keselowski said with a laugh.