RFK Racing Announces Chris Buescher All-Star Crew Chief After Suspension

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."

The penalty sees Buescher move from 12th to 24th in the drivers' standings.

NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings

1. Kyle Larson – 469
2. William Byron – 434
3. Christopher Bell – 384
4. Chase Elliott – 378
5. Ryan Blaney – 362
6. Tyler Reddick – 357
7. Denny Hamlin – 346
8. Alex Bowman – 325
9. Joey Logano – 318
10. Bubba Wallace – 310
11. Ross Chastain – 300
12. Chase Briscoe – 278
13. Austin Cindric – 273
14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 258
15. Ryan Preece – 251
16. Josh Berry – 244
17. Kyle Busch – 244
18. John H. Nemechek – 234
19. Carson Hocevar – 230
20. Michael McDowell – 228
21. Austin Dillon – 227
22. Zane Smith – 227
23. Todd Gilliland – 227
24. Chris Buescher – 224
25. AJ Allmendinger – 218
26. Ty Gibbs – 217
27. Daniel Suárez – 209
28. Justin Haley – 206
29. Erik Jones – 196
30. Ty Dillon – 188
31. Noah Gragson – 181
32. Riley Herbst – 151
33. Brad Keselowski – 148
34. Cole Custer – 139
35. Shane Van Gisbergen – 138
36. Cody Ware – 68
37. Jimmie Johnson – 34
38. Corey LaJoie – 24
39. JJ Yeley – 9
40. Katherine Legge – 7
41. Casey Mears – 2
42. Burt Myers – 1
43. Chad Finchum – 1
44. Martin Truex Jr – 1