Tag: RFK Racing

‘Raw speed’ the missing piece in Keselowski’s quest for victory

Brad Keselowski continues to believe his RFK Racing team is one step away from returning to NASCAR Cup series victory lane. “Just need a little bit more raw speed,” Keselowski said. “We need to show up at racetracks and be a threat for the pole, run …

Brad Keselowski continues to believe his RFK Racing team is one step away from returning to NASCAR Cup series victory lane.

“Just need a little bit more raw speed,” Keselowski said. “We need to show up at racetracks and be a threat for the pole, run the fastest lap in the race. Do those types of things. We’ve done that … at Bristol, we haven’t done that enough at other places. That’s what we’re looking for.”

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Keselowski’s winless streak is now 103 races old, dating back to the spring of 2021 at Talladega Superspeedway. The victory was his last with Team Penske before joining forces with Jack Roush as driver and co-owner. Keselowski has yet to win driving the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, but he’s been to victory lane four times as co-owner of Chris Buescher’s No. 17.

Entering the first road course race of the season at Circuit of the Americas (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox), Keselowski, who has not yet won on a road course in the Cup Series, is 13th in the championship standings and Buescher is 14th. Buescher has three top-10 finishes to Keselowski’s pair.

“I thought at Phoenix our teams looked really similar,” Keselowski said of the gap between the two teams. “Atlanta, we looked pretty similar. Daytona, we looked pretty similar. We didn’t look very similar at Las Vegas; I thought the 17 was stronger than the 6 car was there.

“Those things come and go for various reasons, there’s not one thing on any given week. You want the crew chiefs to have a little bit of freedom to do what they want to do with their engineers and try different things, and when that gets too far apart for too long, you try to rein it back in, and there’s an ebb and flow to that. But for the most part, I feel like we’re pretty close.”

The winless streak is not something Keselowski has concerned himself with as he’s worked to integrate himself and help carry RFK Racing forward. But Keselowski also doesn’t mind being asked how close he feels to winning or what the team is missing.

“No, no, no,” he said. “It’s the right question to ask. It’s the question we ask of ourselves.”

Fortunately, Keselowski and his group is much closer to making that happen than they were in their first year together.

“Oh yeah, we’re way closer than we were 24 months ago,” Keselowski said. “But that’s not good enough.”

RFK Racing representatives spotted in the IMSA paddock amid rumors

RFK Racing representatives were spotted in the IMSA paddock amid rumors of a potential entry. Could RFK Racing join IMSA soon?

[autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag] has talked about expanding into other series outside of NASCAR, but it hasn’t happened yet as they focus on the Cup Series. Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher have improved every year in the NextGen car but are searching for their first win in 2024. Also, RFK Racing appears to be flirting with other racing series’ at the same time.

According to RACER’s Marshall Pruett, RFK Racing representatives were spotted in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring paddock for IMSA last week. This comes as Keselowski expressed interest in expanding to IMSA before the 2024 season. Any entry into IMSA would likely come at the beginning of the 2025 season.

This would be a significant move for RFK Racing, as the organization appears serious about the possibility. It would help grow the NASCAR organization’s brand, but Keselowski previously mentioned that a third charter is a priority. Could RFK Racing join IMSA in the near future? It appears this could be the case in 2025.

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Buescher earns a ‘huge’ second place finish at Phoenix

Chris Buescher turned a quiet day for his RFK Racing team into a much-needed second-place finish Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Buescher’s No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse team made the call to stay out for track position when the final caution flew on …

Chris Buescher turned a quiet day for his RFK Racing team into a much-needed second-place finish Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

Buescher’s No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse team made the call to stay out for track position when the final caution flew on lap 215. It moved Buescher into the top five for the restart inside the final 92 laps. He did so while managing fuel over the final stint, which later allowed him to make a charge to second place.

“That’s huge,” Buescher said. “We’ve been able to lead races at any point in all three races leading up to this [one]. We didn’t quite get there today, but certainly a great finish for our BuildSubs.com Ford Mustang. I’m really proud of everybody. This is a good try.”

Buescher qualified 14th for the Shriners Children’s 500 and earned an average running position of 12.4 throughout the afternoon. After not scoring any points in the first stage (finishing 17th), he was 10th at the end of the second stage.

In the final stage, the No. 17 was running 17th when the final caution came out, and the team elected to stay on track. It initially moved him to fourth, and he chose the inside lane to be third on the restart. Once crew chief Scott Graves and the team were confident on fuel, Buescher was given the call inside the final 20 laps to go hard.

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Buescher took second place from Ty Gibbs with eight laps to go, but was 5.4s behind Christopher Bell at the finish.

“What thrills me is we were by no means perfect on balance, so we have a lot of room to make this thing better, which is awesome,” Buescher said. “It tells me we can go compete for that thing.”

Sunday was Buescher’s second top-five finish at Phoenix in the last two races. It was his first top-five finish of the season, and it came a week after an early exit from the Las Vegas race when the right front wheel came off his Ford, which resulted in the suspension of two crew members.

RFK Racing filed an appeal over the penalty and NASCAR deferred the suspensions. Buescher had his usual crew on pit road at Phoenix.

“We had a rough go last week and this is good to get everybody back together and prove that we’re in this together, that we’re going to win and lose these things as a team,” Buescher said. “That was almost a win today. We were close in a way, but I couldn’t even see [Bell], so that was going to be a tough one to battle for a win.

“Really impressed with everybody today; they did a heck of a job and worked hard to get back up where we needed to be there at the end. I was able to save just enough fuel to be able to go 100 percent there at the end and at least get one more spot and get to second. Really proud of that.”

RFK Racing appeals NASCAR penalty from the Cup Series race at Las Vegas

RFK Racing has appealed the NASCAR penalty for the No. 17 team from the Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

[autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag] and the No. 17 team were issued a penalty on Tuesday afternoon after the race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. During the event, Chris Buescher lost a wheel, slammed the wall, and finished in 37th place. As a result, NASCAR suspended Buescher’s crew members Jakob Prall (front tire changer) and Nicholas Patterson (jackman) for two races.

However, Prall and Patterson will be on pit road for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, RFK Racing is appealing the penalty for the two pit crew members after Buescher’s wheel fell off at Las Vegas. NASCAR has deferred the suspensions, so the No. 17 team will be at full strength at Phoenix.

It will be fascinating to see if RFK Racing can win its appeal against NASCAR to eliminate Prall and Patterson’s suspension. For now, Buescher and the No. 17 team will look to turn it around at Phoenix after a rough weekend in Las Vegas. Overall, RFK Racing didn’t have a good race in Nevada, but Phoenix represents a chance for a fresh start.

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NASCAR reveals penalty for Chris Buescher, RFK Racing after Las Vegas

NASCAR has revealed its penalty for Chris Buescher and RFK Racing after the No. 17 car lost a wheel at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

[autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag] and [autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag] didn’t have a great weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Buescher showed speed in qualifying and to start the event, but it went downhill quickly after the No. 17 car lost a wheel. Buescher slammed the wall, and the damage was catastrophic. The RFK Racing driver took it behind the wall and finished in 37th place.

On Tuesday afternoon, NASCAR released the penalty for Buescher losing a wheel on the race track in Las Vegas. Buescher’s crew members Jakob Prall (front tire changer) and Nicholas Patterson (jackman) were suspended for two races at Phoenix Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. RFK Racing has not decided if they will appeal yet.

This is rough news for RFK Racing as they need to adjust Buescher’s pit crew. It is especially critical as Buescher has proven his ability to win at Bristol, one of the races the two crew members will miss. For now, the No. 17 team looks ahead to Phoenix, sitting 23rd in the point standings. Buescher needs an excellent run to turn around a rough weekend at Las Vegas.

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RFK Racing expected to receive penalty from NASCAR after Las Vegas

RFK Racing is expected to receive a penalty from NASCAR after the weekend at Las Vegas. Find out the details behind the likely penalty!

[autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag] didn’t have the weekend it expected at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after a breakout 2023 NASCAR season. Brad Keselowski struggled to show speed, eventually finishing in 13th place after slowly improving. Meanwhile, [autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag] finished dead last in 37th place after a crash. Unfortunately for RFK Racing, Buescher’s crash will likely have more consequences.

Due to the wheel falling off the No. 17 car at Las Vegas, RFK Racing is expected to receive a penalty. NASCAR adjusted the rules to a wheel falling off the vehicle, which previously resulted in a four-race suspension for the crew chief. Instead, NASCAR will likely penalize two crew members of their choosing from the No. 17 team for the next two weeks.

The good thing for RFK Racing is that Buescher won’t lose money or points due to the penalty. The concern surrounds the loss of two pit crew members, which must be replaced at Phoenix Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. RFK Racing and the No. 17 team hope for better luck at Phoenix as the organization looks to rebound after a rough weekend.

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Buescher crash red flags Cup Series at Las Vegas for wall repair

NASCAR had to red flag Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for wall repair after Chris Buescher crashed in Turn 1. Buescher hit the wall when the right front wheel came off his RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse on lap 27. …

NASCAR had to red flag Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for wall repair after Chris Buescher crashed in Turn 1.

Buescher hit the wall when the right front wheel came off his RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse on lap 27. The team did not get the wheel tight when Buescher came in for two tires under the lap 10 caution.

After the race restarted on lap 16, the single center-locking lug nut worked itself loose and came off as Buescher turned into the corner. Once the nut came off, the wheel followed and the car hit the wall.

Buescher initially thought he blew a tire, radioing as much to his team and that he “hit a ton.” He was checked and released from the infield care center.

“We lost the nut and lost half the wheel,” Buescher said. “I think the tire stayed up under the fender. I’m not exactly sure just yet, but it looks like the nut came off and something in the suspension actually cut the wheel in half. It’s definitely not what we wanted with our Fastenal Ford Mustang out here today.

“We had a strong day yesterday. I was really proud of that effort. We got a good bunch here and we’re going to be contenders. We’re going to win some races, but it’s not going to happen today.”

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NASCAR dispatched the welding truck to make repairs to the wall. It resulted in a 10m39s red flag.

Buescher was the first driver to retire from the Pennzoil 400. He will finish last.

“No, nothing that says that was coming,” Buescher said of not having a warning of the wheel being loose. “That’s kind of been the case with this car. I’ve probably had three of these now through the last couple of years and haven’t had a warning on any of them. It’s nothing like the old five lug stuff where you’d get a vibration or a shimmy or have some kind of clue. It just happens all of a sudden.

“It’s very unfortunate there, very tough. We have a great group of people on our team right now and we’re going to bounce back from this and get going in the right direction. That hurts just so early. We were able to move forward out of there. We took two tires and were doing OK and holding our own against four tires around us and just ended up out way earlier than we wanted. I guess we talked a little bit yesterday, and probably truthfully, for the first time in my career, I’m excited about Phoenix after what we had last time there. I won’t have to lie about that, but certainly a bad day today. It’s very disappointing. That sucks.”

Keselowski feeling ready to make a move on Atlanta high banks

The configuration of Atlanta Motor Speedway doesn’t matter to Brad Keselowski because success has been a constant. Keselowski led the spring race at Atlanta on the final lap last year in one of the strongest showings of the season for the No. 6 RFK …

The configuration of Atlanta Motor Speedway doesn’t matter to Brad Keselowski because success has been a constant.

Keselowski led the spring race at Atlanta on the final lap last year in one of the strongest showings of the season for the No. 6 RFK Racing team, even though he ended up bested by former teammate Joey Logano and finished second. The performance, however, gives Keselowski and his group a good notebook for approaching Sunday’s race (3pm ET, Fox).

“I like the track,” Keselowski said. “I feel good here. I feel like we understand what we need out of our car and yeah, I feel like we can win come Sunday. It’s a good track for us, but nothing is given to you — you have to go earn it. Just because you ran well last year, everybody is working on their stuff in order to get better, so I don’t take it for granted. I do feel like it’s a track that, even before it was reconfigured, suited me well and continues to do so.”

The former Cup Series champion hasn’t won yet driving the car he owns. Keselowski became a co-owner of RFK Racing in 2022, and his last Cup Series victory was in the spring of 2021 while driving for Team Penske (Talladega Superspeedway).

Sunday will be Keselowski’s 100th start since that victory. It’s not a streak – or drought – he’s concerned about.

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“I’m not paying any attention to it, honestly,” Keselowski said. “What matters to me is I would rather be fast every week and contending for wins than fall…into a race win and say, ‘Oh streak’s over.’ I want to be fast. I want to be contending and in the hunt.

“We did that last week and I’m proud of that, and I think we have a good shot to do that this week. That’s what matters to me.”

It’s the longest stretch Keselowski has gone without a victory in his Cup Series career. He scored at least one win each season from 2011 through 2021.

“I never was not hungry,” Keselowski said of getting back to victory lane. “I don’t know how to get any hungrier.”

A breakthrough win wouldn’t come as a surprise at Atlanta. Whereas a year ago, Atlanta and other superspeedway racetracks were opportunity races for the team, their progression has made them weekly contenders.

“I do feel that we can win anywhere,” Keselowski said. “I would have liked to have more speed in qualifying than what we showed, but I feel confident that we’ve got a lot of great pieces, a lot of maturity in our team, and I could see us winning tomorrow and being a threat all day long.”

Keselowski qualified 24th for the Ambetter 400.

RFK Racing signs Consumer Cellular as a partner for 2024 NASCAR season

RFK Racing announced on Wednesday afternoon that is has signed Consumer Cellular as a partner for the 2024 NASCAR season and beyond.

[autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag]’s five-day stretch of sponsorship announcements, which has received attention from Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, has been good for the organization. Thus far, RFK Racing has revealed details for Build Submarines and Fifth Third Bank. Now, a new sponsor has joined the fray heading into the 2024 NASCAR season.

On Wednesday morning, RFK Racing announced that Consumer Cellular will join Brad Keselowski and the No. 6 team as a primary sponsor for four NASCAR Cup Series races in 2024. Consumer Celluar will be on the No. 6 car at Phoenix on March 10, Kansas on May 5, Nashville on June 30, and Homestead-Miami on October 27.

This is a good time for Consumer Celluar to join RFK Racing because the organization is close to breaking through to the next level. Keselowski and Chris Buescher are playoff contenders, and with the right development, they could be Championship 4 contenders. The hope is that Consumer Cellular can go to victory lane with the No. 6 team in at least one of their four starts.

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RFK Racing reveals new Fifth Third Bank paint scheme for 2024 NASCAR season

RFK Racing reveals a new Fifth Third Bank paint scheme for Chris Buescher in 2024. Take a look at Buescher’s new paint scheme!

[autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag]’s week of paint scheme reveals continued on Tuesday morning as Fifth Third Bank will return to [autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag]’s No. 17 Cup car for the 2024 NASCAR season. Most notably, Fifth Third Bank was present on Buescher’s entry when RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski pushed the No. 17 car to victory lane at Daytona International Speedway in 2023.

The bright Fifth Third Bank colors will be on the No. 17 car for five races during the 2024 NASCAR season. The biggest race will be the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on August 24 as he looks to repeat. The other races will be Texas on April 14, Darlington on May 12, Michigan on August 18, and the Charlotte ROVAL on October 13.

Buescher is coming off a career year in the NASCAR Cup Series after winning three races at Richmond, Michigan, and Daytona near the end of the regular season. In 2024, Fifth Third Bank hopes to return to victory lane with the driver of the No. 17 car as he looks to make a push for more victories and a deeper playoff run.

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