RFK Racing has confirmed that Dough Randolph will serve as Chris Buescher’s crew chief during the next two races, starting with the All-Star weekend in North Wilkesboro.
This comes after NASCAR penalized Buescher and his No. 17 Ford Mustang team after failing post-race R&D inspections following the race at Kansas Speedway. As a result of failing on the front bumper cover, the driver and team were both docked 60 points and 5 playoff points. On top of this, the team was fined $75,000 and crew chief Scott Graves was given a two-race suspension.
NASCAR stated, as previously reported by Newsweek Sports:
“During inspection this week at the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina, series officials discovered that the No. 17 Ford was in violation of Sections 14.1.C (overall assembled vehicle rules) and 14.5.4.G (front bumper cover) of the NASCAR Rule Book. The team went over the maximum reinforcement allowed for its front bumper covers.
“As a result, the team and driver Chris Buescher were each assessed with the loss of 60 championship points and five playoff points, and the team was fined $75,000. Additionally, crew chief Scott Graves has been suspended for the next two races through Charlotte.”
RFK Racing, co-owned by NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski and Jack Roush, has now released a statement to confirm that it is reviewing the information before deciding whether to appeal the penalty. The team commented:
“RFK Racing acknowledges the penalties assessed by NASCAR to the No. 17 Ford Mustang following this past weekend’s race in Kansas.
“We remain committed to full compliance with NASCAR’s rules. At this time, we are carefully reviewing the details of the situation to determine if we will file an appeal within the timeframe allotted.”
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) May 15, 2025
The penalty sees Buescher move from 12th to 24th in the drivers’ standings.
NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings
- Kyle Larson – 469
- William Byron – 434
- Christopher Bell – 384
- Chase Elliott – 378
- Ryan Blaney – 362
- Tyler Reddick – 357
- Denny Hamlin – 346
- Alex Bowman – 325
- Joey Logano – 318
- Bubba Wallace – 310
- Ross Chastain – 300
- Chase Briscoe – 278
- Austin Cindric – 273
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 258
- Ryan Preece – 251
- Josh Berry – 244
- Kyle Busch – 244
- John H. Nemechek – 234
- Carson Hocevar – 230
- Michael McDowell – 228
- Austin Dillon – 227
- Zane Smith – 227
- Todd Gilliland – 227
- Chris Buescher – 224
- AJ Allmendinger – 218
- Ty Gibbs – 217
- Daniel Suárez – 209
- Justin Haley – 206
- Erik Jones – 196
- Ty Dillon – 188
- Noah Gragson – 181
- Riley Herbst – 151
- Brad Keselowski – 148
- Cole Custer – 139
- Shane Van Gisbergen – 138
- Cody Ware – 68
- Jimmie Johnson – 34
- Corey LaJoie – 24
- JJ Yeley – 9
- Katherine Legge – 7
- Casey Mears – 2
- Burt Myers – 1
- Chad Finchum – 1
- Martin Truex Jr – 1
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