Business as usual for Buescher and Preece following Keselowski departure announcement

Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece will miss Brad Keselowski as a teammate at RFK Racing, but neither seem concerned about the company’s future.

“Ultimately, no,” Buescher said Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when asked whether it would be a big blow that is hard to fill. “Brad has been great and has been a huge part of that, but we’ve got a lot of really sharp people and really talented people. We have some roles to fill, and we’ll work hard and try to make the best decisions there. If we can get that right, then we’ll be able to keep up and keep pushing forward.

“We’ve kind of established a great foundation, and we owe so much of that to Brad, and that will help set us going forward on a strong path.”

The announcement earlier this week that RFK Racing and Keselowski would separate at season’s end was as unexpected as it was surprising. Keselowski will not only move on from the No. 6 Ford, but also end his ownership tenure. His partnership with Jack Roush and the Fenway Group began in 2022.

“I think it’s an opportunity for Chris and me,” said Preece. “Chris has been there for a long time, and I feel like we have a lot to say, and hopefully it’s going to help the direction, but Brad has been a great teammate, a great part of their ownership group in rebuilding.

“But the house needs to keep being built, so we’re going to keep trying to do everything right and still have success.”

Preece may end up benefiting from Keselowski’s departure. RFK Racing owns two charters, and Preece’s No. 60 team was set to be unchartered next season. But the company may keep Buescher and Preece in charter entries, and Keselowski’s ride could become an Open entry. RFK Racing acknowledged in its announcement this week that they are committed to three teams in 2027.

“I assume,” Preece said about driving a chartered entry next season. “I’m comfortable with being uncomfortable, but it would probably be nice to go to Daytona knowing that we can lock ourselves in without even needing to qualify in the top two. I’ve been a part of that rodeo before. It’s nice to be on the side where you’re chartered.”

Over the last five years, with the addition of Keselowski, RFK Racing has won seven races between its three drivers (having expanded to a three-car team in 2025 with the addition of Preece). And in the last five years, the company has had at least one driver in the postseason in three seasons.

Keselowski was not only a driver and co-owner, but also the head of competition. The role is another part of the equation RFK Racing will have to sort through going forward. Buescher pointed out that this knowledge and expertise have been instrumental, including in Buescher’s improvement.

“Brad has been a great mentor and has meant a ton to our resurgence and getting back to the point where we’re in the playoffs and in the hunt to win races and won a handful of races over the last several years,” Buescher said. “He will certainly be missed in a lot of ways, and I think that on the other side of it is we’re going to have to compete against him now. We know what he’s capable of because we’ve been able to experience it week in and week out for a long time.

“It’s definitely an unfortunate part of how it’s rolling around, but I certainly wish him all the best going forward. Knowing Brad, he’s got a plan. I don’t know what that is, but he doesn’t do anything without a plan.”

Buescher said he wasn’t completely in the dark about Keselowski, but he didn’t know it was coming. Preece, asked what his immediate emotion was about the news, had a forward-focused attitude.

“I think there’s just a lot of questions that we’re working on answering,” Preece said. “What I’ll say is this is an opportunity to keep building the house. It’s not going to get torn down. I see a lot of glass-half-empty things, and I’m a glass-half-full guy. I think we have a really strong foundation at RFK, and right now I’m a racer, and it’s taken me too damn long to win races, and I feel like we want to keep going that way.”