09/22/2025
Preece Leads RFK Racing at Home Track
Preece Leads RFK Racing at Home Track
Preece 14th, Buescher 18th, Keselowski 23rd
LOUDON, NH (September 21, 2025) – There was a strong New England feel Sunday, for Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing. Ryan Preece returned to his home track roots while Brad Keselowski sported a commemorative Boston Red Sox paint scheme. Together, along with Chris Buescher, the RFK squad posted a resilient effort at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
60 Ryan Preece
It was a homecoming for Ryan Preece, Sunday as he returned to New England. The Berlin, CT native started 23rd in the Mohawk Northeast Inc. Ford and quickly advanced five spots in the opening laps as he aggressively pushed toward the front. Working to overcome a loose condition, and excessive tire wear though, he needed to adjust. Forced to take a more conservative approach, he gave up track position and finished the stage 28th.
Following a four-tire stop between stages, Preece restarted 28th and immediately noted improvement in the car’s balance. The Ford fired off stronger, though long-run grip remained a challenge after 12 to 15 laps. Multiple cautions through the middle segment allowed the team to keep making adjustments, with strategy paying off as Preece climbed into the top 20. By lap 170, he was running 17th, steadily managing his tires before pushing harder in the final stretch of the segment. His patience paid off with a 15th-place finish to end Stage Two.
In the final stage, Preece restarted 17th and bided his time with a conservative approach. From his first run of the day, he knew tire wear would prove critical. In the late stages of the race they bolted on a set of scuffs that only had one lap on them, with them he ran solidly up into the top 15. Preece climbed as high as 12th in the closing laps ultimately finishing 14th.
“Honestly, we just made the best of the day that we had in front of us,” said Preece. “We never really had the opportunity to get track position. But we felt like we did everything we could, but we learned a lot throughout the day for sure.”
17 Chris Buescher
With his best New Hampshire finish (5th) coming in last year’s visit to the Magic Mile, Chris Buescher was primed for another strong run Sunday. Driving the Kroger Health/Flublok Ford he started 15th and worked to settle into rhythm early. As Buescher blasted down the long straightaways, into the relatively flat corners, handling challenges forced him to enter more conservatively. A late caution allowed the 17 team to adjust but with only 1 green flag lap remaining in the stage, after the restart, Buescher found himself 24th.
Continuing to adjust, Buescher pitted between stages and restarted 27th. As the run wore on, he said the car felt fine on the bottom lane but struggled to make progress in traffic. Seeking to gain track position, the team made a two-tire call during a caution, which vaulted Buescher into the top 10 and briefly as high as sixth on a late restart. He held his ground inside the top 12 through the mid-point of the stage but slipped back after another pit cycle, finishing the segment in 21st.
In the final stage, Buescher restarted 18th and maintained position through the early laps. As the leaders pitted during green-flag pit stops he climbed as high as second before coming to pit road himself on lap 243. As the stops cycled through the field Buescher was 19th, looking to press forward. Using strategy under caution the team pitted at lap 255, again for two-tires. The net gain though was only modest and as the race concluded Buescher was scored 18th.
“Certainly not what we want to come to the racetrack to do,” said Buescher. “When we go into the race it was really hard to pass. We’re going to keep working on Loudon. This has been a tough one for me to figure out.”
6 Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski entered Sunday’s race at NHMS looking to build upon his strong second place finish a week ago in Bristol. After starting 17th in the BuildSubmarines.com Ford he quickly found himself battling for position. He and Bubba Wallace swapped spots multiple times as the stage wore on. A caution with just 8 laps remaining in the stage, allowed for pitstops, and set up a one lap dash to the scheduled break. Keselowski finished the stage 20th.
Keselowski restarted right where he finished Stage One, but an early caution provided opportunity for advancement. As others pitted the 6 was able to gain track position. When racing resumed, there was aggressive racing. He again found himself jockeying for position, at one point in the midst of a three-wide race with Ross Chastain and Wallace. While that went without incident, another skirmish resulted in damage. Keselowski and Shane Van Gisbergen made contact, sending the 6-car into the inside retaining wall. After multiple pitstops, repairs were made, before he finished the stage 30th.
Pitting between stages the team continued to work on the car’s left front and left rear. As Keselowski returned to the track, the car responded, picking up 4 spots in short order. Keselowski climbed as high as 4th during a round of green flag pitstops but surrendered the position when he made his stop and cycled back to 24th. He was able to make modest gains and finished 23rd.
“Yeah, I go together with (Shane van Gisbergen) in 1 and 2. I hit my inside left front tire into the wall and tore the car up,” said Keselowski. “We were just hanging on from there. I felt like we were probably a like a tenth-place car and was probably trying a little too hard on the restart.
Up Next:
Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, KS), Saturday, September 28, 2025, on USA Network 3:00pm ET
