Brad Keselowski showed up at Kansas Speedway with fire in his eyes and speed in his car. He started from the rear after unapproved adjustments but quickly cut through the field. By the end of Stage 1, he had worked his way up to 14th. Stage 2 saw him climb even higher, finishing in sixth and collecting stage points. For a driver still looking for his first top 10 of 2025, this was his strongest run yet. Kansas was turning into a turning point. His #6 Ford Mustang looked like it finally had the pace to challenge for a win.
Then came heartbreak, again. On Lap 195, while running second, Keselowski’s car suddenly lost rear tire pressure. He coasted to a stop on the apron and was towed back to the garage. The result: 37th place. It marked his third straight DNF and fifth of the year. Still, the RFK Racing co-owner stayed optimistic. “We put ourselves in position like that, you win races. There are some pieces that are starting to click. Maybe not getting the result but showing the potential to get the result,” Keselowski said post-race.
While Keselowski tries to claw his way back from bad luck and DNFs, another storm has hit RFK Racing. Just days after Kansas, NASCAR dropped a massive penalty on the team’s most consistent driver this season, Chris Buescher. It’s a blow that comes just ahead of the high-profile All-Star Race weekend, putting the team on the defensive.
A crushing blow for RFK Racing and Chris Buescher!
Chris Buescher came to Kansas as the most successful RFK Racing driver of the ongoing season. Despite battling against veterans, he has been consistently in points and has made a safe place in the top 16. He continued his high-octane performance and left Kansas with an eighth-place finish. Solid, consistent, just what RFK Racing needed. It was his sixth top-10 finish this season. But that result didn’t last long. NASCAR pulled the No. 17 car for random post-race inspection at the R&D Center. What they found cost Buescher and his team dearly.
The violation stemmed from the car’s front bumper cover. Specifically, NASCAR ruled RFK broke Section 14.5.4.G of the rulebook. That section allows non-metallic reinforcement of the bumper, but RFK went beyond the permitted area. That crossed the line. NASCAR hit them with an L1 penalty. The cost? A $75,000 fine, 60 driver and owner points, five playoff points, and a two-race suspension for crew chief Scott Graves.
NEWS: RFK Racing and Chris Buescher’s No. 17 team has been assessed an L1 penalty from Kansas.
They violated Rulebook Sections 14.1.C, Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules and 14.5.4.G with the front bumper cover.
Team has been fined $75,000, lost 60 driver and owner points, and…
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) May 15, 2025
The impact was immediate and brutal. Buescher fell from 12th to 24th in the standings. He went from holding a cushion to now sitting below the playoff cutline. Just like that, RFK’s playoff math shifted, and not in their favor. The penalty also affects the team in the owner standings, with the No. 17 entry also dropping to 24th. It affects more, considering the poor performances from Brad Keselowski and just seven points benefit to Ryan Preece.
This is a developing story.
The post NASCAR Penalty: Brad Keselowski & Co. Slammed With $75,000 Fine & Points Deduction After Kansas Scandal appeared first on EssentiallySports.
