07/07/2025
Preece Scores Top-10, Buescher Battles Back During Intense Chicago Street Race
Seventh Place Finish Advances Preece to Third Round of In-Season Challenge
Chicago, IL (July 6, 2025) – Ryan Preece lead RFK Racing in Chicago Sunday, as he powered to a hard-fought seventh-place finish. Chris Buescher battled back from adversity to finish 18th in a chaotic race marked by shifting strategies and looming weather. While Brad Keselowski’s day ended early in a multi-car crash, the team’s performance reinforced Preece’s emergence as a road course contender and Buescher’s resilience in the face of adversity.
60 Ryan Preece
Ryan Preece continued to show his growth as a road course competitor with a determined drive through the streets of Chicago. Starting seventh in the BuildSubmarines.com Ford, Preece battled through early adversity as radio issues disrupted communication with his spotter, forcing him to rely on crew chief Derrick Finley to relay crucial information. A multi-car crash on lap three shuffled strategies across the field, and Preece took the opportunity to pit early on lap four. Despite the challenges, he maintained his composure and raced his way to a solid fifth-place finish in Stage One.
Stage Two saw Preece in prime position to contend, restarting fifth. Oce again though, Preece was forced to overcome and obstacle. After an early cautio he missed chance to pit when a slower car checked up ahead forcing him stay out longer than planned. Instead he pitted under green at lap 38, which cycled him back to 21st. Unfazed, Preece began carving his way through traffic and closed out Stage Two in 21st.
In the closing laps, Preece and Finley plotted their fuel strategy, staying out as many leaders were projected to be short on fuel if the race went caution free to the finish. The 60-car though could go to the end. By lap 52, Preece had climbed to 14th, and with 16 laps to go, he was running 12th. As weather threatened and the race intensified, Preece held his ground through another late caution and sprinted to a hard-fought seventh-place finish. In the process, he finished ahead of Noah Gragson and advanced to the third round of NASCAR’s in-Season Challenge.
“We had a really, really good car,” said Preece, “We took stage points there and it was really, really tough to pass, even tires held on really well. Ultimately, a really good car. I’m excited for Sonoma. I’m excited for road racing.”
17 Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher headed to the windy city with a gust of momentum, riding a streak of 4 straight top-10 finishes. The Kroger / Body Guard Ford rolled off from the eighth position and was surging toward the front when Buescher reported power issues on the long straights, hampering his ability to maintain pace with the leaders. Buescher and his team worked to diagnose the issue while staying in contention. He did fall a lap down, but a timely caution on lap 22 provided him the free pass, putting him back on the lead lap. He ended Stage One in 34th.
In Stage Two, Buescher fought back. By lap 44, he had climbed to 11th thanks to precision driving and sound strategy calls from crew chief Scott Graves. Following a Lap 47 pit stop Buescher was 25th but worked his way through the field once again. Displaying his road course expertise he recovered to 11th place stage finish.
The final stage proved to be a battle. Opting to stay out under a caution at lap 59, the team gained valuable track position, restarting 16th as weather concerns loomed. Another caution on lap 63 led to a pit stop at lap 65, dropping Buescher back to 23rd for the final restart with nine laps remaining. He pushed hard in the closing circuits, navigating traffic and avoiding trouble to score and 18th place finish.
6 Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski entered the Chicago Street Course well prepared, focused and determined. The weekend began as he walked the 2.2 mile street course early Saturday morning, studying the asphalt’s characteristics. Plotting the way he would attack it. Saturday night followed with more preparation as he studied race tape in his hotel room to sharpen his approach.
Starting 15th, Keselowski was ready to put that preparation to the test. He quickly showed speed and precision in the opening laps advancing through the filed. Unfortunately, his day came to a heartbreaking end, just three laps into the race, when two cars collided ahead of him, leaving him with nowhere to go. The Kroger / Blue Buffalo Ford sustained heavy front-end damage in the multi-car pileup, forcing Keselowski to retire early and settle for a 37th-place finish despite the promise he and the team displayed throughout the weekend.
“I didn’t see it until the last second,” said Keselowski, describing the crash. “I slowed down and I actually felt I was gonna get stopped and then I just kind of got ran over from behind. It’s just a narrow street course and sometimes there’s nowhere to go.”
