On May 15, 2025, NASCAR imposed a significant penalty on RFK Racing following the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, impacting both Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher’s teams. The penalty came after post-race inspections revealed a violation related to the front bumper cover of the No. 17 Ford driven by Chris Buescher, who has been the team’s most consistent performer this season.

Brad Keselowski arrived at Kansas Speedway determined to make a strong run. Despite starting from the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments on his car, Keselowski quickly advanced through the pack. By the end of Stage 1, he had climbed to 14th place, and in Stage 2, he improved further to finish sixth, earning valuable stage points. This performance marked Keselowski’s best run of the 2025 season and suggested that his #6 Ford Mustang had the pace to contend for a win.

However, Keselowski’s race took a turn for the worse on Lap 195 when his car unexpectedly lost rear tire pressure while running second. He was forced to coast to a stop on the apron and retire to the garage, resulting in a disappointing 37th-place finish. This marked his third consecutive DNF (Did Not Finish) and fifth of the year. Despite this setback, Keselowski remained optimistic, stating, “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.”

While Keselowski battled misfortune on track, RFK Racing faced a harsher blow off it. NASCAR’s post-race inspection of Buescher’s No. 17 car uncovered a violation of Section 14.5.4.G of the NASCAR rulebook, which governs the non-metallic reinforcement allowed behind the front bumper cover. NASCAR determined that RFK Racing had exceeded the permitted reinforcement area, leading to an L1-level penalty.

The consequences for RFK Racing and Buescher were severe:

• A fine of $75,000

• Deduction of 60 driver and owner points

• Loss of 5 playoff points

• Suspension of crew chief Scott Graves for two races, including the upcoming All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600

This penalty caused Buescher’s standing in the driver points to plummet from 12th to 24th, pushing him below the playoff cutline and dramatically complicating his path to the postseason. The No. 17 team also dropped to 24th in the owner standings. This setback came at a critical time, as Buescher had been one of the quiet success stories of the season with six top-10 finishes in 12 races and only one DNF, maintaining an average finish of 15.5.

The penalty’s ripple effect extended to the entire RFK Racing playoff outlook. Ryan Preece now holds the final playoff spot by a slim 14-point margin, while Kyle Busch is close behind, trailing by just seven points. Meanwhile, Keselowski sits 103 points outside the playoff picture without a top-10 finish this season. All three RFK drivers face a realistic risk of missing the postseason.

NASCAR Cup Series managing director Brad Moran explained that the violation involved exceeding the maximum allowed two inches of reinforcement behind the front bumper foam. The reinforcement area is intended to strengthen the nose piece to reduce damage during races, but RFK Racing’s modification went beyond the clearly communicated limits. Moran noted that while NASCAR has issued harsher L2 penalties for other modified parts, this infraction fell into the L1 category due to the nature of the violation.

RFK Racing has not yet announced whether it will appeal the penalty. Keselowski, who is a co-owner of the team and a former Cup Series champion, has previously advocated for stricter enforcement and more penalties in NASCAR to curb gamesmanship and maintain fairness. In 2022, he commented, “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.”

Now, Keselowski’s own team finds itself under the penalty spotlight, adding pressure as the season progresses. Despite the challenges, Keselowski remains confident in RFK Racing’s potential and views the penalty as a hurdle to overcome. The focus now shifts to the upcoming races, with the team aiming to recover quickly and contend strongly in the remaining events, including the high-profile All-Star Race.