RFK Racing juggling multiple scenarios going into Cup Series Chase decider

RFK Racing has three different scenarios in play Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski are racing to make the Chase. Only one is likely to make it, with Preece sitting 31 points behind Shane van Gisbergen, who holds down the final spot. It is mathematically possible to overcome that even without winning the race.

On the other hand, Preece’s team, the No. 60, is only six points behind in the owner standings to make the Chase. All the rewards for a race team (i.e., money) come from being in the owner’s Chase.

Keselowski, meanwhile, admittedly needs a miracle if he is going to make the Chase. A 66-point gap is unlikely to be erased unless van Gisbergen has early issues and fails to score significant points, while Keselowski wins the race and the stages.

“It’s really important for us that we put our best foot forward,” said Keselowski.

It is an unfortunate turn of events for the organization entering the weekend. RFK Racing had all three of its teams sitting solidly inside the top 13 in the standings earlier this summer, and it would have been the first time all three cars made the postseason together (having expanded to three cars last season). Not since 2023 has more than one RFK Racing car been in the postseason.

But with Preece and Keselowski’s teams having had near-identical slides backward, there is the possibility that only one of them (Chris Buescher) could be represented after things settle at Daytona. Add in that Preece was hit with a 25-point penalty when NASCAR reacted to what they said was Preece intentionally wrecking Ty Gibbs at Texas Motor Speedway, adding to his deficit.

“You back up to April and May, we had all three cars pretty solidly in the (Chase),” acknowledged Keselowski. “We had a weak summer, particularly with the 6 car that was less than ideal. I think there are some key learnings from that, and certainly we won’t stand still on that.

“We just want to be better. We want to compete to be a tier one team, and tier one teams put all their cars in (the Chase). I don’t think we’re far off from being able to do that, but at some point either you are, or you aren’t, and so we have to make sure we get there.”

To get even more specific, there is a fourth point for RFK Racing, but it is far less significant in the grand scheme of things. Chris Buescher has the easiest night and situation at hand as he is racing for a win and any potential improvement in the Chase standings. Buescher is already locked into the Chase.

It is a stress-free, straightforward weekend for Buescher and the No. 17 team, which is a welcome change from the last two years when he was left standing out in the cold when the win-and-in drivers knocked him off the grid.

“That is not lost on me,” Buescher said. “It’s certainly rewarding to not be in that situation, to not be right on the bubble, and not have that far of the unknown. I think it was two years that the unknown came from 30th or 31st in points to knock us out. That hurts.

“So, to have a year that we’ve had that’s been very consistent and very strong in a lot of places … knowing that should put us in the Chase, and we are in the Chase, we don’t have that threat from a racetrack that can produce those wild one-off winners, is certainly nice. It’s a testament to the work that’s been done all season.”

Buescher was the highest qualifying RFK Racing driver for Saturday night on the outside of the front row. Preece qualified fourth. Keselowski will have to work his way toward his teammates after qualifying 21st.