Chris Buescher and RFK Racing seemed to have made an excellent escape after what could have been one of the biggest scandals to rock the team this year, after their No. 17 Ford was hauled to NASCAR’s R&D centre after their finish at Watkins Glen.

This decision immediately raised eyebrows throughout racing circuits, for a racing car is only sent to Concord when NASCAR is suspicious of extreme changes to the vehicle, some of which may violate the rulebook, resulting in severe points and monetary fines.

This scrutiny drew even more attention because of the PTSD it would bring RFK and their fans, as way back in 2025, they had already undergone a major penalty involving illegal front bumper reinforcement on Buescher’s car.

That earlier violation had hit the team quite hard. Naturally, the minute it was revealed that NASCAR had ordered additional inspection of the car, several felt that RFK was in deep trouble.

However, quite fortunately, the latest update seems to have completely changed the air. NASCAR officials have now cleared the No. 17 Ford after inspection and have imposed no penalties, suspensions, fines, or point deductions, being a big relief to RFK during a crucial phase of this season.

Why this inspection happened was because of the pace they showed. Even though Buescher finished 12th at The Glen, the team believed the car had genuine top-five speed throughout long stretches of the race. Buescher had himself said after the race that he felt that the car had genuine pace and was impressed by the machine.

The clean inspection has relieved RFK, allowing them to focus on the upcoming weekends. But as they move on, it’s important that we take a look back at 2025 and realize what was different that year and why RFK was fined so heavily.

RFK Racing’s massive 2025 Kansas penalty

RFK’s jittery nerves right now go back to the initial cause, which was penalties handed out after the race weekend at the 2025 Kansas Speedway. After the race, NASCAR took in Buescher’s No. 17 Ford to the Concord centre, where it was discovered by officials that the reinforcement on the front bumper exceeded the legal two-inch limit that is allowed by NASCAR.

This immediately triggered an L1 penalty, which some deem is one of the most serious infractions in the Cup Series. NASCAR led to some strict measures. Buescher and RFK were docked 60 championship points and five playoff points; they were also fined $75,000, and their crew chief, Scott Graves, was suspended for two races.

The ruling by NASCAR was then appealed by RFK at the National Motorsports Appeals Panel, which then reduced the championship point deduction from 60 to 30 after determining NASCAR failed to prove an additional exhaust-panel violation fully. However, all other penalties stayed.

This shows us that RFK’s tensions while their car was being inspected were legitimate. After all, there is a reason such a rulebook exists: to level the playing field, and any attempt to subvert it violates the very tenets of sportsmanship.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason