It all went down at Kansas Speedway during the AdventHealth 400 on May 11, when Chris Buescher wheeled his No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang to a hard-fought eighth-place finish, a bright spot in a season where he’d already notched six top-10s. The RFK crew was buzzing, thinking they’d banked solid points to keep Buescher, sitting pretty in 12th, in the playoff hunt. But the party came to a screeching halt when NASCAR yanked the No. 17 to its R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, for a random post-race teardown.

What they found turned RFK’s world upside down: an illegal front bumper cover, reinforced beyond the allowed two-inch limit, violating NASCAR’s strict body modification rules. The hammer dropped hard—an L1-level penalty that stung like a hornet. RFK was hit with a $75,000 fine, a 60-point deduction for both driver and owner standings, five playoff points erased, and a two-race suspension for crew chief Scott Graves. Buescher plummeted from 12th to 24th in the playoff grid, 27 points below the cutline, while co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski, already struggling with no top-10s and three DNFs in his No. 6 Ford, felt the team’s playoff dreams slipping away.

But the penalty’s severity—especially the points hit, threatened to derail Buescher’s season, with only 13 races left to claw back into playoff contention. Keselowski, who’d been grinding through a tough year with finishes like 34th at Texas and 32nd at Dover, called it a “devastating blow”, vowing to fight back. RFK quickly announced an appeal, banking on their case to soften the blow. Now, in a stunning turn, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel has handed down a decision that’s got Keselowski, Buescher, and the whole RFK squad ready to charge again.

RFK Racing caught a good break, finally!

When NASCAR dropped that crushing L1 penalty after Kansas, RFK didn’t just roll over—they came out swinging with an appeal that turned heads. On May 19, fresh off a scrappy 10th-place run by Buescher at the All-Star Race without crew chief Scott Graves, RFK Racing announced they were challenging the penalty. Brad Keselowski, juggling driver duties and co-owner headaches, admitted he needed every minute until the Monday deadline to sort out the mess, telling reporters he was diving deep into the details.

The appeal hearing on May 28 was a high-stakes showdown, and RFK brought their A-game. The three-member panel—Tom DeLoach, Cary Tharrington, and Kevin Whitaker—heard RFK’s case, which leaned on the fact that the bumper cover tweak didn’t give Buescher a measurable edge on the track. His eighth-place finish at Kansas, part of a 2025 season with six top-10s and an average finish of 16, showed RFK was competing clean, not cooking the books. The panel agreed, slashing the points penalty from 60 to 30 for both driver and owner standings on May 28.

The $75,000 fine, five playoff points deduction, and Graves’ two-race suspension (served at North Wilkesboro and the All-Star Race) stood firm, but the reduced points hit was a lifeline. Buescher, who’d crashed from 12th to 24th in the playoff grid, 27 points below the cutline, soared to 17th, now just six points behind teammate Ryan Preece for the final playoff spot. “We appreciate the opportunity to present our case to National Motorsports Appeals Panel today and are pleased that the Panel overturned one of the two assessed penalties,” RFK said in a statement.

The ruling was a shot in the arm for a team already battling adversity, with Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford mired in 32nd in points and no top-10s until Charlotte. With 13 regular-season races left, Chris Buescher has a real shot to chase points or snag a win at tracks like Sonoma or Watkins Glen, where his road-course skills shine.

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Brad Keselowski turned a corner for good at the Coca-Cola 600

The Kansas penalty drama wasn’t the only battle RFK Racing faced in May. Just days after the appeal verdict, Brad Keselowski showed the heart of a champion at the Coca-Cola 600, turning a nightmare start into a season-best fifth-place finish. Starting 35th in the No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford, Keselowski got slapped with a pit-road penalty for vehicle interference early, then nearly spun out in Stage 2, going a lap down.

But the 2012 Cup champ didn’t flinch, clawing back with a free pass on Lap 238 and charging to 13th by Stage 3. Crew chief Jeremy Bullins’ late adjustments unleashed the car’s speed, and Keselowski led five laps, surging to fifth as the checkered flag waved. “We had a really good car,” Keselowski said, frustrated it wasn’t a 700-mile race to chase the win. His hustle mirrored RFK’s appeal fight, both were about grinding through adversity to stay in the game.

Keselowski’s Charlotte run, alongside the penalty reduction, is a shot in the arm for RFK. Buescher’s 22nd-place finish at the 600, after a crash sparked by Carson Hocevar, stung, but the points relief keeps him in the playoff hunt. Meanwhile, Keselowski knows he needs to have more than a good points race to ensure that all three RFK Racing cars make it in the playoffs.

With Preece holding the last playoff spot and Buescher now breathing down his neck, RFK’s three-driver lineup is scrapping for every point. The Coca-Cola 600 showed their resilience, and the appeal win proves they can battle off the track, too. As Nashville looms, Keselowski and Co. are ready to flip the script on 2025, proving they’re not just survivors—they’re contenders.