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.

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.

Notably, Buescher has been one of the quiet success stories of the season. Before the penalty, he was tracking toward the playoffs. Six top 10s in 12 races. Only one DNF. An average finish of 15.5. But now, he’s in a battle to survive, and it gets tougher from here as he won’t be with his regular crew chief in both the All-Star Race and the high-stakes Coca-Cola 600. With 14 races left in the regular season, Buescher still has time.

But it’s a slim window. If two drivers outside the top 16 score wins, Buescher could fall as much as 54 points short. That’s a serious risk. The penalty not only sets him back, but it also throws the entire RFK playoff picture into chaos. Ryan Preece now holds the final spot by just 14 points and is being challenged by Kyle Busch, who is sitting at the door with just a seven-point deficit. Meanwhile, the team’s co-owner and 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski sits 103 points outside. He is yet to score a top 10 finish. All three RFK drivers could realistically miss the postseason.

Notably, RFK Racing hasn’t confirmed whether they’ll appeal the decision. The team still has time to decide, but there’s no guarantee an appeal would reverse the ruling. Keselowski, who co-owns the team, knows this game. In fact, Keselowski has long called for more discipline from NASCAR. “I personally think the sport needs more penalties and NASCAR should be handing them out like candy right now. We’ve been playing a lot of games for a lot of years and the games have to stop. The games cost a lot of money. Those games come directly at the expense of being able to afford to do things that we’ve like to be able to do or just to be able to afford to be able to race,” he said in 2022.

Now his own team is back in the penalty spotlight. The irony is hard to ignore, and the pressure is on. Still, Keselowski sees this as a team on the rise. He remains confident they’ll bounce back. The path forward starts with one thing: focus. The penalty is done. The races are coming fast. And the biggest one of them all is just around the corner.

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Brad Keselowski Eyes Redemption at Coca-Cola 600

The Kansas heartbreak is in the rearview mirror. Brad Keselowski is now focused on one thing: the Coca-Cola 600. Memorial Day Weekend’s crown jewel race is more than just another chance for points. It’s a proving ground, and Keselowski knows it. “When you put yourself in a position like that, you win races. This is a pretty significant overhaul of the [No.] 6 team from where we were last year,” he said after Kansas. That’s not just confidence. That’s urgency. The No. 6 car has shown flashes, but the results haven’t followed.

Through 12 races, Keselowski has zero top-10s and sits over 100 points outside the playoff bubble. “And there are some pieces that are starting to click, but maybe not getting the result. But showing the potential to get the result today was a step forward for us, even though the finishing order is not going to show it. Go win the Coke 600. That’s where my emotions are at. Bring cars and speed like this to the Coke 600 and let’s go win it,” he further added.

Meanwhile, RFK Racing is pulling out all the stops. The team’s annual Fan Day on May 23 will include major announcements, autograph sessions, and behind-the-scenes tours at their Concord, NC, headquarters. But the real focus is Sunday night. The 600-mile test of endurance could be the moment RFK Racing finally flips the script.

Keselowski is already locked into the All-Star Race, but the real fight begins in Charlotte. A strong result there won’t just help the standings. It could shift momentum for the whole organization. And with his team under fire, Keselowski needs a win, for the points, for the fans, and for RFK’s future. The grind continues. The spotlight grows. And for Keselowski and his crew, the Coca-Cola 600 is no longer just a race. It’s a lifeline.