RFK Racing is on the upswing in its second year with Brad Keselowski among its driver-owner ranks. Both Keselowski and Chris Buescher are well-positioned to make the Cup Series playoffs, with Buescher taking his third series win last time out at Richmond. The company is as consistent as any in the Ford ranks. Its alliance partner, Rick Ware Racing, has landed a franchise driver in Justin Haley.
All these positive trends lead to a natural question: Why not add more cars to the fold moving forward?
“I think we definitely would like to do that,” Keselowski said Saturday at Michigan International Speedway. “(But) you know, it’s easier said than done.”
“For the time being, I think we’re quite satisfied with the relationship we’re building with the Rick Ware Racing cars, which allows us to kind of add some depth to our roster without going out and buying another charter right now.”
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Charters are proving the be the challenging part of expansion for Keselowski and others. In the second year of the Next Gen era, with the terms of an upcoming media rights deal looking positive, teams are taking a wait-and-see approach to their futures.
“It’s almost impossible to buy a charter,” Keselowski said. “Nobody’s selling one.
“No matter what your offer is, you can’t buy one. I think there’s been some people knocking on the door with a lot of money, and the answer is ‘Your money’s not good anywhere.’”
The forthcoming media rights deal is playing a key role in those decisions. NASCAR’s current deals with FOX and NBC are set to expire at the conclusion of the 2024 season, opening the sport up to new opportunities.
One domino in the rights discussion has already fallen. NASCAR announced in July that is had landed a seven-year deal with The CW Network — a free, over-the-air broadcast network that will carry all 33 Xfinity Series races starting in 2025.
The move, which Keselowski called “a big win for our industry,” has been met with positivity. Its something the Michigander hopes carries over to the discussion for NASCAR’s other two national series.
“To be on broadcast for all the races for that series, I think that gives us a high level of exposure for that series that hopefully transcends into whatever the media rights deal is for the Cup Series, or at least complements it some way,” he said. “I think that’s an exciting moment for our sport that probably is not fully understood at this moment. If we’re fast forwarding the clock, you know, five or 10 years, I think we’re gonna look back at it and say that was a really nice win for the sport.”
It’s too early to tell how The CW move will play out for NASCAR’s second series. But if it finds success, RFK Racing would consider returning to the Xfinity Series ranks.
“I would like to think that, with the series being (on a broadcast network), that it’ll be able to attract the partners that we would need to be able to justify that level of investment that it takes to run that series,” he said. “And ultimately, that will be the deciding factor.”
And as for adding to its Cup program?
“We would like to get to a third car,” Keselowski said. “You know, it has to be possible. And right now it’s not possible.”