All it took was a single question mark to send NASCAR fans into a spin. A small notation on Jayski’s official page, harmless at first glance, suddenly had Ford camp loyalists dissecting contracts and reading between lines that may not exist. This came despite closing the year on a high with Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney sealing the win at Phoenix and RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski following closely in P2 at the season finale. But with that quiet uncertainty lingering in the background, attention is quickly shifted to the future of one 33-year-old Ford driver, turning off-season speculation into the kind of debate guaranteed to break the ice at the upcoming Christmas dinner parties.

RFK Racing’s driver’s future in jeopardy

The free agency rumors seem to be banging on Chris Buescher’s door. With no official announcement confirming the length of his new contract, the rumor mill has run wild. For now, it appears the deal likely runs through 2026, but without RFK publicly disclosing an exact end date, the uncertainty has been enough to fuel widespread speculation.

But let’s not forget the spectacular 2025 season Buescher has had. Even though the 33-year-old driver found himself just outside the playoff bubble for a second straight season, Buescher had quite the run.

On paper, the results looked familiar, with his top five and top 10 totals nearly mirroring the year before. But if you dig a little deeper, a clear storyline of speed emerges.

The No. 17 Ford took a noticeable step forward on Saturdays, with Buescher’s average starting position jumping a healthy six points from 18.5 to 12.5. He may have gone winless in 2025, but starting on the front row at both Kansas and Pocono was a loud signal that the pace was real.

His best shot at Victory Lane came at Michigan, where he finished 2nd to Denny Hamlin in a tense fuel mileage showdown after leading 13 laps.

Road courses continued to be a strength as well. One year after his dramatic overtime win at Watkins Glen, the Texas native backed it up with a strong third-place finish behind Shane Van Gisbergen and Christopher Bell, then followed it up with a solid fourth at the Charlotte Roval.

In the final 10 races of the season, he finished worse than 18th only twice, a stat that underscores how close he was to breaking through. And no one understands the importance of a win in the grueling playoff system.

“Fast race cars bring points with them,” he said at Pocono.  “Again, I think we figured for the last couple of months, it’s gonna be a must-win situation. I feel like these playoffs constantly do that, and you get to the end, and one or two slip in on points. But you gotta win races.

While RFK missed both the playoffs and victory lane as an organization this year, optimism is far from in short supply.

The team expanded to 3 full-time entries with Ryan Preece joining Buescher and Brad Keselowski, and the second half of the season showed tangible improvement as the group found its footing.

If everything clicks, 2026 could be the season where No. 17 stops knocking on the door and finally kicks it in. But these speculations aren’t complete without NASCAR fans stripping the facts bare.

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Fans rally behind Buescher’s NASCAR future

Speculation around Chris Buescher’s future quickly turned into a vote of confidence for RFK Racing on Reddit.

As one fan bluntly put it, “I’d expect Chris to stay with RFK for most of his career. Unless Hendrick or Gibbs (maybe Penske) throws a monster contract at him, I can’t see him leaving,” capturing the general sense that Buescher isn’t jumping ship just yet.

More importantly, age and timing became a central theme as the debate continued, with fans pointing out how selective NASCAR teams have become.

“I think he is to move to a top team; for Hendrick, I think you’d have to be younger than Elliott, JGR younger than Bell, and Penske younger than Blaney,” one fan argued.

While another added, “I think at 33 he may be too old to move to a better team, he’s more in the stage of his career where he would need his current team to get good to become a top driver.”

The conversation wasn’t just about contracts and career math; it was about fit. “The 17 suits him well, I hope he stays. I love the #17 since the Kenseth days lmao,” one fan wrote, leaning into the car’s legacy.

Others left the door slightly open, suggesting that “Trackhouse and 23XI would both be a step up as well,” even if the prevailing sentiment was that Buescher already looks right where he is.