RFK Racing welcomes NASCAR’s revamped championship format for 2026, which prioritizes steady performance over isolated victories, offering the team a clearer path in the RFK Racing NASCAR championship prospects. Introduced in Concord, North Carolina, the update aims to reward teams that demonstrate consistency throughout the Cup Series season, placing RFK Racing in a favorable position to challenge the dominance of industry giants like Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, and Joe Gibbs Racing.
RFK Racing’s Steady Rise Among Elite Teams
Jack Roush and Brad Keselowski have transformed RFK Racing into one of NASCAR’s most consistent operations, with Chris Buescher at the forefront. Over the last three seasons, Buescher has ranked among the series’ top drivers in both average finishes and top-10 results, making a strong case for the team’s upward momentum. However, while he secured the sixth, seventh, and second-best average finishes recently, and placed high in top-10 tallies, the former regular-season winner hasn’t advanced to the Chase since his 2023 performance, when strategic victories locked him in early.
Consistent Results Set the Stage for 2026
The new rules remove late-season surprises by qualifying the top sixteen drivers by points alone. This shift benefits Buescher, who remained within the top sixteen each year since 2023 (sixth place in 2023, eleventh in 2024, tenth in 2025). Keselowski and emerging teammate Ryan Preece have each joined him in the elite group. While Keselowski finished fifth in 2023 and eighth in 2024, 2025 marked Preece’s strongest season yet, posting three top-five finishes, fourteen top-10s, leading 133 laps, notching a pole, and earning a personal-best 15.7 average finish.
Ryan Preece’s Breakout Year and Rising Expectations
Preece may prove to be the most underrated driver of 2025, showing notable competitiveness at key moments. As rivals like William Byron and Ryan Blaney fought for a spot in the Championship 4, Preece recorded faster lap times and could have contended for the win if not for a late caution. He finished strong, earning four top-10 finishes in the season’s final five events, along with Keselowski nearly clinching a victory at Phoenix’s finale.
Keeing Momentum With Veteran Experience
Entering his seventeenth season, Brad Keselowski continues to show flashes of the talent that marked his explosive early career. While a sluggish start in 2025 left him in thirty-third after twelve races, hampered by mishaps like a tire failure while running second at Kansas Speedway, Keselowski’s recovery—marked by five top-10s in the last eight races—brought him back into the top sixteen.
Keselowski has attributed team improvements in part to expansion, despite initial setbacks. In a season without the Chase cutoff, his rebound further underscores RFK’s depth and resilience. The organization’s ability to adapt will be crucial as nearly every Cup team retains its 2025 lineup, while Chevrolet introduces a new, less-documented body type for the competition.
Strong Track Record at Key Venues
Looking toward early 2026, RFK Racing is well-positioned at superspeedways and intermediate tracks. Both Keselowski and Buescher have come close to victory at Atlanta, signaling optimism for future results. Once the schedule reaches more technical circuits, like Circuit of the Americas, Buescher stands out as a leading road course racer in the entire series.
Following less fruitful stops like Phoenix, the NASCAR calendar shifts into a sequence of tracks where RFK has historically performed—such as Las Vegas, Darlington, Martinsville, Bristol, Kansas, Talladega, Texas, Watkins Glen, and Charlotte. This stretch offers prime opportunities to build playoff momentum, with subsequent visits to Michigan, Pocono, San Diego, Sonoma, Chicago, and another run at Atlanta—venues where RFK has shown its ability to outperform expectations.
Looking Ahead: Playoff Implications and Championship Hopes
With a strong launch in the 2026 season, all three RFK Racing drivers—Buescher, Keselowski, and Preece—have the potential to capture wins and secure spots in the Chase, leveraging their adaptability and proven consistency. The shift in format, rewarding sustained performance over opportunistic late wins, aligns well with RFK’s strengths, narrowing the gap with powerhouse teams.
While the ultimate goal remains the Bill France Cup, earning a place in the Chase and the financial rewards that come with it marks crucial progress for RFK Racing. Their persistent improvement, rising star drivers, and strategic vision suggest a realistic shot at the championship in the seasons to come, fueling optimism throughout their Concord-based operation and among the wider NASCAR community.
