06/02/2025
RFK Racing’s Trio Led by Buescher in Music City
Chris Buescher 14th, Brad Keselowski 23rd, Ryan Preece 28th
Lebanon, TN (June 1, 2025) – Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing came to Music City looking to keep the rhythm going after a strong showing in Charlotte a week ago. Chris Buescher hit the high note Sunday night, leading the RFK charge with a strong run to a 14th-place finish. After leading the race at one point, Brad Keselowski finished 23rd, and Ryan Preece battled back from a spin to finish 28th.
No. 17 – Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher started 10th at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday night and quickly settled into a steady rhythm with the Kroger/OIKOS Ford. Early in the 90-lap segment, Buescher reported the car was tight on corner exit, but as the laps clicked off, the handling came to him. This was evident during the stage in a fierce, side-by-side battle with Ross Chastain that lasted several laps and showcased Buescher’s tenacity. Buescher ended Stage One in 11th.
Stage Two took on a much different complexion than the opening segment. Avoiding trouble in a caution-filled stage was key. After a solid adjustment during the break between stages, Buescher restarted 16th and reported improved handling. A two-tire call on lap 106 gained track position, and despite battling a loose car on restarts, he kept the car clean and avoided multiple incidents. Buescher ended the stage 27th, still in the fight with a clean car.
When the final stage began, Buescher restarted 29th. Opportunity presented itself on lap 199. Capitalizing on a caution and intense restart, Buescher picked up positions and built momentum. By lap 246, he pitted for four tires and fuel, and after green-flag stops cycled through, he had worked his way up to 16th. With a strong final run, Buescher picked off a few more spots and scored a solid 14th-place finish, capping off a determined drive forward in the closing laps.
No. 6 – Brad Keselowski
Riding momentum from a 5th-place finish in last week’s Coca-Cola 600, Brad Keselowski started strong at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday night. He rolled off sixth in pursuit of his 37th career win. Throughout most of the first stage, the Solomon Plumbing Ford consistently ran inside the top 10. As the laps wore on in the 90-lap segment, which ran caution-free, it became clear that track position would play a key role. Keselowski and Crew Chief Jeremy Bullins began devising ways to implement strategy and increase performance in the ensuing stages. Though Keselowski slipped to 13th by the end of Stage One, confidence remained high, with Bullins assuring him, “We’ll keep digging. We’ll be alright.”
Stage Two at Nashville brought challenges for the No. 6, but the team showed resilience throughout. After an early caution on lap 106, Keselowski pitted for two tires. However, as John Hunter Nemechek was entering his pit stall and Keselowski was exiting, the two collided. Fortunately, the car avoided major damage. A string of cautions followed, and on lap 130, contact from Corey Heim pushed Keselowski into the wall, forcing an unscheduled stop for quick repairs. Despite dropping to 32nd, Brad stayed focused, providing detailed feedback as the team worked to improve the car’s handling. With half the race still ahead, the team remained determined to fight back in the final stage.
Stage Three required strategy and perseverance. After taking extra time during the stage break for splitter repairs, Keselowski restarted 30th but quickly began moving forward, climbing to 27th as the car fired off with more strength than earlier in the race. With intensity building on a lap 199 restart, Keselowski steadily advanced to 23rd. As green-flag pit stops began, the No. 6 team rolled the dice, keeping Brad on track as long as possible in hopes of a timely caution. The strategy vaulted him to the lead with 34 laps to go. Unfortunately, the caution never came, and Brad had to pit on lap 267, dropping him back to 23rd, where he would ultimately finish.
“A long night,” said Keselowski, who had worked through multiple points of adversity. “We got run off the track several times and it got us in a hole that we couldn’t get out of.”
No. 60 – Ryan Preece
Coming off two straight top-10 finishes, Ryan Preece entered Nashville Superspeedway with momentum and sat right on the playoff cutline. The driver of the No. 60 Trimble Ford started 19th and steadily gained ground, advancing to 16th within the opening 25 laps. A green-flag pit stop on lap 45 for four tires and fuel helped him cycle up to 14th. Preece maintained a strong pace throughout the run and wrapped up Stage One in 16th, showing consistency even as the car challenged him on corner entry.
Preece restarted 16th to begin Stage Two, which was slowed by three consecutive cautions. When the race resumed on lap 155, he held his position using the bottom groove and found better balance in the closing laps of the stage. During the 95-lap segment, Preece gained five positions to climb to 11th.
During the final stage break, a longer stop to top off fuel dropped the No. 60 Ford to 24th. Just four laps into the final stage, while running in traffic, Preece got caught in dirty air entering turn one and spun, bringing out the caution, despite no significant damage. From there, Preece mounted a respectable recovery, working his way through the back of the field over the final 100 laps. He gained four positions over the final pit cycle to finish 28th.
“We had a really good run going until I just lost the car entering turn one,” Preece said. “I’m super proud of our team for battling and bringing me a fast car; I just didn’t finish there at the end.”
