09/29/2025

Keselowski Leads RFK Racing at Kansas Speedway

Keselowski picks up 19 positions in the final stage to record impressive top 10 finish

KANSAS CITY, KS (September 28, 2025) – Brad Keselowski’s, “The 6 Team Never Quits,” mantra was on full display in Kansas Sunday, as the team’s co-owner showed the way for Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing. Keselowski’s gritty top 10, highlighted a day where RFK teams turned in gritty efforts across the board.

6 Brad Keselowski

Before taking the green flag Sunday, Brad Keselowski radioed his team and said, “It’s a long race. You know what to do.” Those encouraging words proved prophetic as the 6-team grinded it out Sunday, using the full race to pull off a very impressive top 10 overtime finish after starting 31st.

As Stage One began, the 2012 NASCAR champ began feeling out the Solomon Plumbing Ford. Though the car showed some handling challenges – chatter in the front tires and a push on corner entry – Keselowski and the team stuck to their plan. By staying out longer than much of the field during green-flag pit stops, he briefly inherited the lead for 5 laps. Soon though he needed to pit, relinquishing the lead and track position. He finished the stage 28th.

Stage Two brought more handling challenges. Committed to improving the car, crew chief Jeremy Bullins called for a round of adjustments during green-flag service.  During the ensuing laps, Brad said the car was turning better yet there was more work to do and the fight to remain on the lead lap was fierce. Even after being overtaken by the leader late in the run, Keselowski stayed focused. At the end of Stage Two, he again finished 28th.

Before Stage three began, Keselowski took the waive around to regain the lead lap. That was followed by three separate pitstops to work on the right front suspension. The huge swings taken by the 6-team improved the car dramatically. Keselowski reported the car was “way better.” Under caution with just 57 laps remaining Bullins told the team over the radio, “We’re not giving up.” That message fueled an inspired charge, as the Solomon Ford stormed from 27th into the top 10. When the race came down to a 2-lap overtime finish, Keselowski capitalized with an aggressive restart flashing to the high side, passing multiple cars to finish 8th.

“It was a hell of a day. A lot of things going on. We made some adjustments at the end of Stage Two, and the car got a lot better,” said Keselowski. “We got to the lead lap and started picking them off. It was a good, hard-fought day.”

17 Chris Buescher

Throughout Sunday’s race, Chris Buescher proved he was primed for battle. Stage one was evidence of that. After starting 15th in the Body Guard Ford, he quickly found himself mixing it up for position with Alex Bowman and Josh Berry. As the segment wore on, he worked his way forward, running 12th by lap 33 and a well-timed green-flag pit stop at lap 36 cycled him into the top 10.  Another late-stage caution gave Buescher an opportunity to get fresh tires and a chance to get aggressive on the restart. Both worked to his advantage as he overtook multiple cars in the segment’s closing circuits to finish 8th.

Stage Two saw Buescher restart seventh, and he immediately found himself in an intense battle with fellow Ford drivers Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano. While he slipped back to 11th midway through the stage, Buescher remained determined. A green flag stop at lap 122 again gave him a chance for fresh tires and adjustments. As the stage continued, he moved back toward the front, ultimately finishing 11th to stay in the hunt for a strong overall result.

The final stage was filled with cautions and dramatic restarts, and Buescher once again forced to adapt. Restarting ninth, to begin Stage Three he climbed to seventh while running lap times that rivaled the leaders. With improved balance, and running 7th, he continued to charge before a series of cautions changed the complexion of the race. Multiple restarts found Buescher ensconced in traffic and when the checkers flew, he was 15th.

60 Ryan Preece

Determined to build upon what has been a career year, Ryan Preece rolled off 19th at Kansas Speedway Sunday. The Kroger/Minute Rice Ford fired off a little tight, but Preece held steady inside the top 20 and began finding his rhythm. After pitting from 18th on lap 36, the team’s strategy paid off, cycling him forward to 14th. A caution just before the stage break allowed him to restart 13th with four fresh tires and fuel. Though traffic on the restart cost him a few spots, Preece managed the situation well and brought home a 17th-place Stage One finish.

Stage Two brought adversity, but Preece and his crew showed resilience. Restarting 17th, he battled hard before making contact with John Hunter Nemechek. The incident resulted in a spin through the grass and subsequent damage. The team quickly went to work, changing tires and refueling while evaluating splitter damage. Despite being knocked off the lead lap, Preece pressed forward and continued to fight. He ended the stage in 34th but still focused on improving.

Before the final stage, the No. 60 team continued to work on repairing splitter damage, and Preece returned to the track aiming to finish strong. Although the car was hampered by the earlier incident, Preece kept a steady pace and avoided further trouble, carefully working his way forward as attrition played out. By the checkered flag, Preece had persevered and gained nine positions from the end of Stage Two to finish 26th.