08/04/2025
RFK Racing Captures Two Top Five Finishes for Second Consecutive Week
Strategy and Speed; A Strong Combination for RFK Racing in Iowa.
NEWTON, IA (August 3, 2025) –As an encore to their strong Indianapolis finishes, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing score another pair of top five finishes at Iowa Speedway. Keselowski delivered a statement performance Sunday, leading 68 laps and capturing wins in the first two stages before finishing third in a strategy-heavy showdown. RFK Racing showed strength across the board as Ryan Preece rallied from early trouble to score a top five, and Chris Buescher battled from the back to finish 22nd.
6 Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski led 3 times for 68 laps Sunday, enroute to an impressive 3rd place finish. After rolling off 5th, the 2012 Cup Series Champion proved to be an immediate threat to win. Within only a handful of laps the Solomon Plumbing Ford was up to second. Stage one would become a battle between Keselowski and William Byron. For several laps the two were door to door for the lead before Keselowski, took advantage and closed out the segment with a stage win.
After pitting, Keselowski restarted 5th to begin Stage Two. Again, the 6-car was fast. Turning some of his quickest laps of the day, the Rochester Hills, Michigan driver climbed back to second. It was mid-stage when strategy began to take place, while others pitted during green flag racing, Keselowski stretched his fuel. He was ultimately rewarded when a caution allowed him to pit under yellow, limiting the amount of track position he’d need to yield. By lap 188 he had leader Ryan Blaney in his sights, passing him and cruising to another stage win.
Entering Stage Three the 6-team elected to be aggressive and did not pit. “let’s play to win,” said Keselowski, as he maintained the lead. Fuel, though, would become a critical factor. At lap 231, under caution, Keselowski pitted as the team packed the car full of fuel. Despite restarting deep in the field, there was confidence. The car now had more fuel than most others. He could go the distance while many others could not. Cautions though were prevalent, allowing several to close the fuel gap. Still, with speed and determination, Keselowski pushed forward to score a third-place finish.
60 Ryan Preece
With his Xfinity win at Iowa in 2017, Ryan Preece proved his ability to navigate the progressive banking of the .875-mile track. That talent was on display Sunday as he was able to overcome several obstacles in the Mohawk Northeast Ford to score a top 5 finish. Those hinderances were prevalent in stage one. After finishing the segment 30th he was then hit with a speeding penalty on pit road. But that would only set up the impressive comeback.
Restarting 33rd Crew Chief Derrick Finley knew strategy would be necessary to get track position. The plan was to stretch their fuel as long as possible. As others pitted under green the 60-car stayed out – climbing toward the front as others stopped. A mid-stage caution was the break the team needed, proving to be a turning point, as Preece was able to restart 14th. Aggressively, he picked up several spots on the restart and continued surging to a 9th place stage finish.
Stage Three is when it all came together for Preece. Fuel strategy combined with restart dominance propelled the 60-car toward the front. Like his teammate Brad Keselowski, Preece had enough fuel to outlast most. But it was restarts where he capitalized, consistently grabbing spots with each green flag. A flurry of cautions provided that opportunity as Preece maneuvered to the front, finishing 5th; his second top 5 in as many weeks.
17 Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher began his day at Iowa Speedway with work to do in the Body Guard Ford after rolling off from the 27th position. He slipped back to 30th early but steadily clawed his way forward, regaining his starting spot by lap 25. He spent much of the opening stage battling mid-pack, notably dicing with Riley Herbst for 26th. Buescher ended Stage One in 27th,
Stage Two saw a mix of strategy and perseverance from Buescher and the No. 17 team. After restarting 26th with fresh tires and fuel, he set his sights on moving forward. He clawed his way to 12th. Rather than relinquish the hard-earned track position, the team did not pit during a lap 170 caution and instead waited until lap 206 for service. He shuffled him back to 27th but managed to climb to a 24th place stage finish.
In the final stage, Buescher restarted 23rd and made an early pit stop for right-side tires and fuel, but a penalty forced a return trip down pit road where he topped off with fuel. Despite the setback, he steadily made gains as the race unfolded – climbing as high as 14th. During a late race caution, Buescher pitted again and in the intensity of the closing laps could not regain track position, finishing 22nd.
