RFK Racing announced it will appeal NASCAR’s penalty to Chris Buescher that was assessed following the Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.
NASCAR announced last week that Buescher and his No. 17 RFK Racing Team were guilty of Sections 14.1.C and 14.5.4.G of the NASCAR Rule Book pertaining to the overall assembled vehicle rules and the front bumper cover. NASCAR.com noted that Buescher and his team “went over the maximum reinforcement allowed for its front bumper covers.”
On an episode of Hauler Talk, NASCAR Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran explained the decision, “As we tore it down, we found an issue with the front bumper cover. The rules were put in place back in 2022. It is a single source part, but it’s an area that we allow reinforcing in. It’s allowed to be reinforced behind the front bumper foam and a maximum of 2 inches around that area. Unfortunately, the 17 did not meet the rule and had a larger area than what is permitted to be bonded into the nose piece, which resulted in a violation. And that is why it is an L-1 violation. It is an area that can be worked on, but they went too far would be the simplest terms of putting it.”
NASCAR penalized both Buescher and the team 60 driver and owner points, five driver and owner playoffs points and fined $75,000. Buescher’s crew chief Scott Graves was also suspended for the All-Star race and the Coca-Cola 600.
RFK Racing team owner Brad Keselowski indicated he had not looked at everything concerning the penalty and would make a decision on what the team would do sometime today. He said, “I mean, honestly, I was traveling most of the week with media appearances, sponsor stuff, and I haven’t got all of it dialed in yet to fully understand. We have till Monday to do so, and we’re going to exhaust that time period and evaluate everything by then.”
True to his word, RFK Racing announced on social media it would appeal the decision. It wrote in a post on X, “After a thorough review of the penalties issued to the No. 17 Ford Mustang, RFK Racing has decided to appeal NASCAR’s decision. We respect NASCAR’s commitment to fair competition and appreciate the opportunity to engage in the appeals process.”
The penalty pushed Buescher from 14th in the Cup Series Playoffs to 24th, 27 points below the cutoff.
What do you make of RFK Racing appealing the penalty?
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