08/17/2025
Preece Scores Pole, Keselowski Grabs Top-10 at Richmond
Keselowski Rallies Late, Leads RFK Racing Under the Lights
RICHMOND, VA (August 16, 2025) – RFK Racing came out swinging at Richmond Raceway, with Ryan Preece storming to the pole and leading early laps in the No. 60 Ford, Brad Keselowski charging to a gritty ninth-place finish to extend his string of strong runs, and Chris Buescher grinding through handling challenges as he continued his playoff push.
6 Brad Keselowski
Brad Keselowski came into Saturday seeking his third career Richmond win—a victory that would propel him into the NASCAR Playoffs. Starting sixth, the BuildSubmarines.com Ford showed early strength as Keselowski battled Chase Elliott for a top-five position. He made his first pit stop on lap 42, which briefly dropped him to 23rd, but as the cycle completed, he steadily climbed forward. By the end of Stage One, Keselowski had raced back into the top 10, finishing eighth.
Beginning Stage Two, Keselowski restarted seventh and wasted no time advancing to sixth. The car was fast, but tire wear and fall-off were significant, leading Keselowski and crew chief Jeremy Bullins to scrutinize strategy throughout the night. When the BuildSubmarines.com Ford was caught in a multi-car crash, suffering minor fender damage, the decision to pit—or not pit—was challenging. The team opted not to give up track position or burn another set of tires, ultimately finishing the segment without stopping for repairs. Keselowski ended Stage Two in 19th.
In the final segment, Keselowski and his team used that saved set of tires to their advantage. Restarting 16th after pitting between stages, Keselowski held position before climbing as the laps wore on. A stop at lap 289 briefly dropped him outside the top 20, but fresher tires in the closing laps gave him the grip he needed to charge forward. By lap 315 he was up to 14th, then cracked the top 10 in the final run. With a determined push over the last three laps, Keselowski secured a hard-fought ninth-place finish – his fourth top-10 in his last five races.
17 Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher continued his playoff push Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, a track where he was the winner in 2023. As the green flag dropped, the Fifth Third Bank Ford fired off from the 12th position. Although the car slipped back early, Buescher persevered, managing the car in the race’s opening circuits. Fighting through adversity and a lack of rear grip, he finished 24th in Stage One.
Between stages, crew chief Scott Graves asked Buescher to be patient as he and the team went to work adjusting the car. Early in the next run, Buescher reported improvement. A pit stop on lap 122 continued to help as he climbed as high as sixth by lap 134. However, as the run wore on, the handling began to fade. The No. 17 was caught in tight traffic on a late restart, where Buescher skillfully avoided a multi-car crash but lost track position in the shuffle, finishing Stage Two in 22nd.
The final stage saw the team continue to fight, making adjustments throughout the segment. After multiple pit stops to try and improve the car, Buescher noted the center of the turns felt “better” compared to earlier runs. Despite grinding through a long night and making up small gains late, Buescher couldn’t recover the lost ground. He ultimately crossed the line 30th.
60 Ryan Preece
With two top-five finishes in his last three starts, Ryan Preece entered Richmond Raceway riding momentum. That energy carried into the weekend as Preece claimed his second career NASCAR Cup Series pole, putting the No. 60 Kroger/Kleenex Ford Mustang on the front row for the second time this season. Needing a win to secure a playoff berth, Preece seized the early advantage, leading the opening 58 laps of Saturday’s race. Despite being on older tires, crew chief Derrick Finley made the calculated decision to keep Preece on track, preserving a fresh set of sticker tires for later. Preece surrendered the lead on lap 59 to Tyler Reddick and hung on to finish the stage in 15th.
Following a four-tire stop at the stage break, Preece restarted 14th but slipped back in dirty air, falling to 19th. Finley responded by calling for the saved sticker set on lap 112. The move paid off as Preece cycled briefly to the lead during green-flag pit stops before coming in again on lap 150. Just 33 laps later, a timely caution allowed Preece to pit from sixth and remain on the lead lap. With fresh tires, he charged back to finish Stage Two in sixth, collecting four valuable stage points.
Restarting eighth in the final stage, Preece looked poised for a strong result. However, a brake-pedal issue around lap 285 hindered his ability to charge the corners effectively. He eventually lost a lap and struggled to maintain pace as the problem worsened. On lap 334, the team made a longer pit stop to remove brake tape in hopes of cooling the brakes, but the delay dropped him four laps down. With the final stretch running green, Preece was unable to recover, finishing a disappointing 35th.
