Just two weeks after one of its race cars was disqualified for unapproved modifications to the rear spoiler at Talladega, NASCAR Ford team Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing (RFK) was hit with a second penalty for a similar misstep. This time, the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse of Chris Buescher was found to have illegal modifications to its front bumper cover.
According to the latest penalty report from NASCAR.com, Buescher’s race car was taken to the NASCAR Research and Development center after placing eighth at Kansas on May 11th, 2025. There, officials discovered that the No. 17 NASCAR 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. Specifically, the team exceeded the maximum reinforcement allowed for front bumper covers.
As such, Buescher and the No. 17 NASCAR Ford team were assessed an L1-level penalty, which is the most severe penalty outlined in the rule book. Buescher was docked 60 championship points and five Playoff points, while the team was fined $75,000. Buescher’s crew chief, Scott Graves, was suspended for the next two races and is set to return to the pit box the first weekend of June.
Prior to the penalty, Buescher was ranked 12th in overall points, but he is now shown in 24th place. While there’s some time before the Playoff field is nailed down, the penalty places Buescher well outside the top 16. In other words, if the Playoffs started now, Buescher would not be part of the 16-driver field allowed to compete for the 2025 Cup Series championship.
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) May 15, 2025
RFK issued a response, saying, “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.”
As a reminder, the No. 60 Mustang, also fielded by RFK, was disqualified after the race at Talladega on April 27th, 2025. Ryan Preece crossed the line second in that event but was stripped of his podium finish. RFK did not attempt to appeal that penalty.
Comments
I am amazed that NASCAR Cup racing is still around. Regular mandatory pit stop intervals takes away virtually all of the fuel and tire strategy, and makes for predictable results. Maybe shake it up with figure 8 races.
Do you mean stage racing? That’s a caution clock, not a mandatory pit stop. I’m not going to defend it like I like it, but it’s a fuel and tire strategy all on its own.