What’s Happening?

RFK Racing may shake up the Silly Season by expanding its 2025 full-time lineup to three cars. But if the team adds that third car, what are all the implications for the Silly Season as a whole?

• Originally named Roush Racing, RFK Racing has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of Roush Fenway Racing. At one time, the team had five full-time cars. As the 2010s rolled on, they shrunk down to two cars.
• The addition of Brad Keselowski as a driver and owner in 2022, alongside the emergence of Chris Buescher, hammered RFK back into a winning organization. The team has even fielded a part-time third entry this season at Road Courses and Superspeedways.
• RFK’s expansion was originally rumored in early August when Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal broke the news that Kroger, a major sponsor in NASCAR, is interested in RFK. If expansion happened, Kroger’s financial support would be a necessity for RFK.

What’s the New Rumor?

Jordan Bianchi of the Athletic brought this topic back to life Wednesday after NASCAR Playoff Media Day. While shocking to some, Ryan Preece is likely the driver of this new entry for RFK.

Preece’s addition is interesting but could play out as a stable driver holding down the ride until RFK finds a younger option for the team’s future. Stewart-Haas Racing has made it a goal to get its four drivers a new ride in 2025, and Preece is the final driver without a confirmed ride.

Preece’s connection to the team goes beyond being a Ford driver. Kroger, the catalyst in this RFK expansion, worked with Preece and Buescher at JTG Daugherty Racing.

Losing Kroger would negatively affect JTG Daugherty. However, NASCAR insiders like Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports note that the team is prepared for this loss.

Jordan Bianchi also noted that the status of how the car will be chartered is still up in the air. Options include:

• Buying the final Stewart Haas Racing charter
• Buying a charter new on the market, though this is unlikely
• Leasing a charter from another owner

This is by no means a confirmed move. But Bob Pockrass recently asked Brad Keselowski about adding a third car, and Brad, who doesn’t exactly have the best poker face, laughed it off.

If RFK adds a third car, the team would shake up surely Silly Season. But how drastically could Brad’s team change the look of the offseason?

What’s at Stake?

If RFK adds another car to its fleet, multiple parties outside of RFK will be affected.

First, Ford gains another competitive Cup Series entry for 2025. Ford currently has 14 entries weekly, and with SHR’s closure, they would have dropped to 11.

Ford maintained 12 teams after Front Row Motorsports purchased one of SHR’s charters. However, Trackhouse Racing’s expansion leaves just one charter on the table. If RFK were to be the buyer, Ford would have a major win.

A non-Ford option that could have bought the final charter is 23XI. Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan’s team have been a constant name in the charter market.

A potential detraction from buying a charter for 23XI is the ongoing charter negotiations between the teams and NASCAR. Negotiations could also affect RFK’s desire to purchase a charter, as there is no clear timetable for the end of negotiations.

If RFK didn’t buy a charter, they could lease one from a team, but in that scenario, there would be one less unknown team on track in 2024. Furthermore, if RFK did buy the final SHR charter, 23XI may not be likely to hire a new driver.

Riley Herbst and Corey Heim are some rumored drivers in a 23XI expansion scenario. If RFK adds another charter and hires Preece, the free agent market could see a significant change in available names.

RFK’s interest in a third car has the chance to make this Silly Season even crazier. Until then, fans will have to wait patiently to see if the Silly Season dominos start falling.

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