The RFK Racing playoff battle 2025 is intensifying as the team faces crucial weeks ahead with the NASCAR Cup Series postseason cutoff looming. After two dramatic races, RFK Racing drivers sit on the edge of the 16-car playoff field, with key point appeals and penalties potentially defining their season’s outcome.
Recently, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace secured a win at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, guaranteeing his spot in the playoffs and pushing RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece further from the threshold. However, at Iowa Speedway last Sunday, Preece delivered an impressive fifth-place result, almost halving his points deficit. He is now just 23 points behind teammate Chris Buescher, who holds the final provisional playoff position, while only three spots remain for drivers without race victories.
Three Drivers, One Team: Narrow Margin for Error
RFK Racing’s drivers—Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece, and co-owner Brad Keselowski—have each been contenders throughout 2025, with the potential for any of them to secure a playoff place in the final three races of the regular season. Buescher has demonstrated his strength at Watkins Glen International, Richmond Raceway, and Daytona International Speedway in prior years. Both Preece and Keselowski historically perform well on short tracks, and with Daytona’s unpredictable nature, Preece could have an edge. Still, Keselowski stands out as the leading active driver with seven superspeedway wins, making him a strong threat at high-speed venues.
The stakes are compounded by the possibility that a single upset winner from outside RFK Racing could eliminate all three drivers from playoff contention, highlighting the razor-thin margin between celebration and disappointment.
Key Penalties and Appeals Shaping Playoff Prospects
A pivotal moment that might determine RFK Racing’s playoff fate occurred months earlier, following the Kansas Speedway race in May. After Chris Buescher finished eighth, NASCAR officials found the No. 17 <a href="https://slicksandsticks.com/tag/ford/”>Ford in violation of two technical rules related to the vehicle’s assembly and the front bumper cover, exceeding the allowable reinforcement. Initially, Buescher received a harsh 60-point penalty, but RFK Racing chose to appeal. The team’s efforts led to the restoration of 30 points, reducing the final point loss to just 30.
This appeal outcome is proving to be critical: Buescher’s current lead over Preece for the last playoff spot stands at 23 points—less than the points returned by the appeal. As the regular season winds down, this narrow difference could ultimately decide whose season continues into the playoffs and whose does not within the RFK Racing camp.
Buescher is trying to return to the playoffs after missing out since 2023, while Preece is trying to reach the postseason for the first time in his six-year Cup Series career, driving the No. 60 Ford. Keselowski faces an even greater challenge; with a 121-point gap to the cut line, he is in a must-win scenario to extend his streak of playoff appearances to three straight years. If Keselowski is victorious in an upcoming race, he could inadvertently knock out either Buescher or Preece—depending on who holds more points.
Other Crucial Decisions and What Lies Ahead
The team’s past choices on when to appeal penalties are proving to be highly impactful. Earlier in the year, RFK Racing opted not to file an appeal after Preece was disqualified at Talladega Superspeedway due to a rules infraction involving the spoiler. As a result, Preece lost a valuable second-place finish and 39 points, a loss that now looms large as the playoff cutoff approaches. The points lost at Talladega could factor in just as heavily as the appeal win for Buescher, making every administrative and racing outcome essential for the team’s postseason hopes.
The contest for playoff berths continues this Sunday, August 10, as drivers head to Watkins Glen International for the Go Bowling at The Glen. With RFK Racing’s fate resting on both their on-track performance and the consequences of past and future appeals, every moment counts as the playoffs draw nearer.
As the RFK Racing playoff battle 2025 heads into its final stretch, the significance of past technical decisions and race-day performance is coming sharply into focus. With multiple drivers separated by slim margins and only a handful of races left, the outcome will shape not only their season but also the ongoing strategies for teams balancing risk, compliance, and the relentless pursuit of playoff opportunity.
