What is RFK Racing?

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, more popularly known as RFK Racing, is a motorsports team that is synonymous with NASCAR. With a history of over five decades, the team has been one of the revered names in the circuit. Helmed by Jack Roush, the team currently fields two cars in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The History of RFK Racing 

The team's NASCAR operation was founded in 1988 and is owned by founder Jack Roush, sports holding conglomerate Fenway Sports Group (FSG), and stock car racing driver Brad Keselowski.

Apart from that, LeBron James is also associated with the team given that the basketball player is a minority owner in FSG, which is RFK Racing's parent company. In January 2024, the sports personality created quite the buzz when he mentioned the team on social media. Fans were left speculating about this sudden shoutout which later out to be James asking to see the team's newest paint schemes. The parent company also operates a professional baseball team Boston Red Sox.

Why is the team named RFK Racing?

The team has had many rebrands over the years. In its earlier days, the team used to be known as Roush Racing. However, in 2007, John W Henry, the principal owner of Fenway Sports Group, took ownership of the team alongside Jack Roush with saw it bring rebranded to Roush Fenway Racing. Finally, in 2021, Brad Keselowski joined the organization as a driver and co-owner, inducing another name change. And since then, the team has been known as Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

RFK Racing’s Net Worth

As per Forbes, RFK Racing is worth a staggering $75 million dollars (as of February 2020), which includes $11 million in winnings, $52 million in revenue and $3 million in operating income.

As of January 2024, RFK Racing forged a dynamic partnership with Consumer Cellular, as the team's "Official Communications Provider". Apart from that, the team also has a partnership with Fastenal, Build Submarines, Castrol and Siemens, among others.

RFK Racing Drivers

The team currently fields two drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series, #6 driver Brad Keselowski and #17 driver Chris Buescher. Keselowski joined in 2021 as a driver and co-owner and Buescher joined in 2020 after leaving JTG Daugherty Racing.

RFK Racing Partnerships and Endorsements

Among the RFK Racing partners are big brands like fastener distributor Fastenal, oil company Castrol, mobile virtual network operator Consumer Cellular, Ford Performance, Ford Performance, Siemens, Build Submarines, bakery chain King's Hawaiian, plumbing and fire services Solomon Plumbing, pharmaceutical company Esperion, racing equipment manufacturer Bell OMP, Ultimate Performers and professional tools and equipments manufacturer Mac Tools, financial services company Fifth Third, producer of hydration drinks Hoist, Makers Wanted, health and wellness products company Thorne, Constructor, Tulip, Flow Software, Faro, K & N, International Trucks and automotive brakes brand Raybestos.

RFK Racing Investments

Jack Roush's endeavors aren't limited to just competing in NASCAR. The founder has also created a presence in the aerospace industry. According to the company's official website, "From propulsion systems to structures, rotorcraft to rockets, sea level to sub-orbital, GEO, drones, and beyond, Roush loves to work in rarified air mobility". The website also lists the firm's major areas of work which includes commercial aircraft, drone innovations, and space exploration.

In January 2024, the team also announced an ambitious partnership called the RFK TeK Alliance, in a bid for technological advancements. According to a press release, "RFK TeK will bring together a team of experts in engineering, data analysis, software solutions and other technologies to drive progress in the highly competitive world of motorsports."

RFK Racing President Steve Newark, further elaborating on the project, said, "As we continue to evolve and seek new ways to excel in the world of racing, the launch of the RFK TeK Alliance is a natural progression for RFK Racing. Our goal is to establish RFK as the premier ‘Tech’ Team in the NASCAR space ”“ enticing cutting-edge companies to partner with RFK on both technological and marketing initiatives."

When it comes to innovations, Jack Roush always knows the way. And the epitome of that is certainly how RFK Racing chooses its developmental drivers. The team has come up with an innovative way to find fresh talent by a method called 'The Gong Show', which is an elimination style of testing used to sift through thousands of drivers competing from all levels. Involving a series of tests to judge a driver's capability behind the wheels, as well as his personality, the name of the contest was derived from a 1970s talent show by the same name.

Even co-owner Brad Keselowski is a dedicated entrepreneur who heads Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, which calls itself a "virtually integrated manufacturing company" that "develops custom and serialized production solutions for the space, aerospace, defense, power generation, and maritime industries with a focus in turbomachinery, hypersonic engine parts, casting and brazing replacements, and heat transfer components." And recently, in 2022, the firm, that was founded in 2018, also strengthened its financing portfolio by investing $5 million as part of an expansion project.

RFK Racing’s Stage 60 Project

Recently, the team also introduced Stage 60, which is being touted as an expansion effort according to official sources. The team will reportedly field a third part-time entry with the iconic No. 60 Ford in the Cup Series. As per the team's 2024 plan with the car number, stock car racing driver David Ragan participated in the Daytona 500 behind the #60 and finished at P20. The rest of the schedule is yet to be revealed but the team has iterated that the No. 60 will be "competing in additional events in 2024".

Speaking of the endeavor, RFK Racing's president Steve Newark said, "The 60 car represents an opportunity for us to honor our past and look forward to the future of RFK Racing."

Team co-owner Brad Keselowski also talked about the prospects about the new venture. "We’re thinking of it as a really targeted effort to go out there and learn with new drivers and find new opportunities for new partners and new people within the organization. So I think we’re looking at it with kind of this fresher look of hopefully we’ll be able to sign a few more partners for some of the road-course events and the superspeedway events is really what we have targeted for this year. And if we’re able to do that, we’d like to bring some fresh faces into the sport," Keselowski said.

RFK Racing’s Major Achievements and Awards

RFK Racing had a stellar year in 2023. Many have credited it to Brad Keselowski's inclusion to the team that propelled them to newer heights. The team's driver Chris Buescher, made it into the playoffs for the first time in his Cup Series and finished seventh in the standings. Apart from that, he was one of only six drivers to win at least three races (Richmond Raceway and Michigan International Speedway in succession, Daytona International Speedway) that year. Buescher also clinched a career-high nine Top 5's and 17 Top 10's in 2023 and led 255 laps.

On the other hand, his owner Brad Keselowski finished eighth in the Cup Series standings in 2023. However, he had a forgettable season after being unable to clinch even a single win while managing to get 7 top fives, 16 top 10s and 341 laps led.

Overall, the team has 332 victories across all divisions which include 141 in the Cup Series, 137 in the Xfinity Series, 50 in the Truck Series and 4 in the ARCA Re/Max Series. As for pole positions, they managed to get 91 in NASCAR's top tourney, 96 in the Xfinity Series, 45 in the Truck Series and three in the ARCA Re/Max Series.

RFK Racing’s Vision

It's safe to say that Brad Keselowski has high hopes for RFK Racing. His decision to join the the team was certainly a well-thought out one which Keselowski himself dished out in an interview with NASCAR.  “I see a company that has this mixture of hunger and eagerness for the future that has turned a pretty significant corner,” he shared.

One of his main concerns has also been providing that much-needed support to the team's driver Chris Buescher, who according to Keselowski, is a promising talent capable of producing results. "I went to a Ford driving school with him somewhere around 2015, and I was blown away by his talent and his feel for the car. I just felt like he didn't have the support system around him to be successful with the teams he was with," Keselowski said.

"I kind of felt like he was a hidden free agent gem that wasn't being scouted properly and felt that way for a handful of years. So yeah, the first thing ”” it was literally the first thing I did when I signed the papers at RFK. The next step after signing my papers was putting an offer in front of him to give him a contract extension. I thought he was somebody we could build around and get results, and today clearly shows that that was the case," the team owner further added.

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