Fans don’t always see a NASCAR and soccer crossover, but when it happens, it happens with style. At least that is what RFK Racing proved with the revelation of their one-off livery featuring a massive tribute to Liverpool Football Club, playing in the Premier League. Understandably, this became the center of attention of the garage as the lesser-known partnership between the two teams was revealed.

RFK Racing pulls massive soccer flex

In the upcoming race at the Sonoma Raceway on June 28, Chris Buescher’s #17 will be painted in the red of Liverpool FC, with their massive crest on the hood. This is understood to be a part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s promotion, which will be held in the US this summer. But more so, it appears to be a major campaign for their sponsor, Trimble, whose logo will also be featured on the hood.

Not many know this, but the ‘F’ in RFK Racing, which stands for Fenway of the Fenway Sports Group, is the same holding that also owns Liverpool FC, with a number of other massive investments in sports globally. Fenway Sports Group first acquired the ownership of RFK Racing back in 2007 through a joint venture with Roush Racing, led by Jack Roush. Three years later, in 2010, the same group also acquired Liverpool FC. This made the soccer club a sister property of Roush Fenway Racing. The latter’s name was changed to RFK Racing, the ‘K’ standing for Keselowski, when Brad Keselowski joined as an owner in 2021.

This now becomes one of the most unique crossovers in sports, because it doesn’t always happen that NASCAR goes hand-in-hand with European soccer. But this is nothing new for the Fenway group. Apart from RFK Racing and Liverpool FC, they also have massive investments in the Boston Red Sox, the MLB team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a few other sports-related organizations.

But this isn’t completely unprecedented. RFK has pulled similar moves in the past and has gained massive popularity for the same.

When Carl Edwards ran a Red Sox car

Carl Edwards spent most of his Cup Series career racing for RFK Racing, or Roush Fenway Racing, as it was called prior to Keselowski’s ownership. Three seasons after his debut, in 2007, the Fenway Sports Group acquired 50% ownership stake in Roush Racing, changing their name to Roush Fenway Racing. To make this special partnership more remarkable, the team decided to run a special livery on the #99 car, showcasing a huge Red Sox logo on the hood. The Fenway Group had already owned the team. This, understandably, became a massive attraction for the fans.

Although there had been quite a few crossovers from other sports by that time, it was uncommon to see another team’s logo on a NASCAR car. But RFK Racing has been doing that for a long time. And as they prepare to repeat history with the special Liverpool FC logo, it will be a huge marker of the special crossover between American motorsports and European soccer.

The latter part of this is rather unprecedented. Understandably, there wasn’t a massive European soccer following in the US back in the day. But now, the fanbase appears to be growing rapidly.  With the 2026 FIFA World Cup being hosted in the country, it will give birth to an entirely new fanbase. It is quite possible that such crossovers might become more common in NASCAR in the future.