RFK Racing president addresses rumors of possible third car
RFK Racing President Steve Newmark said Friday the team is “very hopeful” about adding a third full-time NASCAR Cup Series charter in 2025.
“We started exploring how we could expand to a third car,” Newmark said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “We’ve made progress to that. I’m very hopeful we’ll have a third car next year.”
The idea of RFK adding a third full-time car to its lineup has been kicked around all season long but has been gaining steam as Silly Season continues. RFK co-owner Brad Keselowski addressed the possibility during Cup Series Playoff Media Day at the Charlotte Convention Center Wednesday, and said he had no news to share on whether RFK would expand to three charters next season.
Keselowski did indicate to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports it would be another month or so before he would have anything finalized or had anything further to say about it. RFK, formerly Roush Fenway Racing, has been a two-car operation full-time in the Cup Series since 2017. Keselowski currently pilots the flagship No. 6 car, while Chris Buescher is in the No. 17. Both have been key in revitalizing RFK, winning four races combined since the beginning of the 2023 season.
In addition to Keselowski and Buescher, RFK has had multiple drivers run the No. 60 car for select races this season. David Ragan ran the Daytona 500, while Cam Waters was behind the wheel at Sonoma. Joey Hand piloted the car to a P4 finish in July’s Chicago Street Race.
NASCAR insider names driver who could join RFK Racing in 2025
Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported Wednesday that RFK is planning on acquiring a third charter, either purchasing or leasing, and they plan to put Ryan Preece into that car for 2025. With Stewart-Haas Racing closing up shop after the 2024 season, Preece’s future has been uncertain. He has struggled through 26 races, sitting 28th in the points standings with two top-10s and one top-five finish.
Kroger, one of the biggest sponsors in NASCAR, is leaving JTG Daugherty Racing after this season, and has ties to both Preece and Buescher. The supermarket chain sponsored two years with Buescher and three years with Preece when each drove for JTG Daugherty. It now appears Kroger will be following Preece to RFK.
Newmark said the team wanted to be cautious about expanding, worried that if they went too quickly it could set them back as a whole.
RFK Racing close to announcing third full-time Cup Series charter?
“Think we’ve been open over the last couple years. And it’s a question that we’ve obviously gotten a lot particularly based on our history. And the size that we used to be,” Newmark said. “There’s no doubt that Jack [Roush] always said if he could run 10 teams, he would love to do that. He obviously had five teams in the Cup Series before some of the rules changed. And Brad [Keselowski] and Jack are both very likeminded on that. The last few years we’ve actually had some opportunities to expand.
“And we’ve declined at that time because we wanted to be cautious because I think that we’ve seen some lessons out there that if we expand too quickly, sometimes the growing pains can set you backwards. We felt like we needed to establish our two-car program as elite. And one that we felt could threaten for wins every single time we showed up to the racetrack. As we go into this year, I think we started to feel that we’re not exactly where we want to be. But we had reached that point where we were running up front consistently. And have the ability to win every weekend.”
Newmark added that the charter system is one of the challenges in making a commitment to fielding three full-time cars. NASCAR reportedly wants to get a deal done ahead of Sunday’s playoff opener at Atlanta.
“As with anything, there are lots of different pieces of the puzzle to put in place. And the charter system is one of them. That’s a huge piece that you need to understand before you can make that commitment,” Newmark said. “I think I would say it’s been reported out there that we’re working pretty hard in trying to put that in place. But I don’t expect all those pieces of the puzzle to fall into place until whether it’s 30 days from now… So, we’ve got some work to do. We’re optimistic.”