The news of RFK Racing’s impending expansion has filled the rumor mill over the past month. While most thought they knew where RFK would get its third charter from, it now appears that one option is off the table.
In mid-August, word started to spread quickly that RFK Racing was going to land major free-agent sponsor Kroger for the upcoming season. With that sponsor, most expect RFK to expand to a three-charter team.
Following these rumors, the next direction the rumor pointed toward the new driver. Ryan Preece, the final unsigned Stewart-Haas Racing driver, was named as the clear front-runner for RFK’s latest entry.
All that was left was the Charter. The team has two options for a new charter: buy or lease. One rumored option for RFK expansion was to buy or lease a charter from Rick Ware Racing.
RFK and RWR have a technical relationship, and RWR has struggled with both cars. Of course, this was just a rumor, but it made sense as most expected 23XI to buy the final Stewart-Haas Racing Charter, with Riley Herbst as the driver.
However, this rumor has a major hole in it now, as Friday afternoon, Rick Ware Racing President Robby Benton confirmed that the team will have two entries in next year’s Daytona 500 and perhaps throughout the year.
So, if RWR keeps its current size, what are RFK Racing’s options?
For RFK, leasing isn’t technically off the table. However, unlike the early days of NASCAR’s Charter system, most teams that own charters are competitive or filled lineups, potentially leaving this option out for 2025.
Another interesting case in this story is 23XI and the final SHR Charter. Even after RFK’s initial rumor of expansion, most insiders still believed 23XI would expand. Unfortunately, this expansion may have come to a screeching halt in Atlanta after 23XI Racing had held out on Charter agreements.
If 23XI has not yet bought the Charter or if they are entirely out, this would be an easy yet much more expensive option for RFK to expand. However, the lack of news could either be due to 23XI’s interest in the Charter or RFK waiting for Kroger to announce its sponsorship.
RWR’s confirmation doesn’t mean that RWR is off the table. The two could run an entry together. However, this is not a current rumor, nor is it a known possibility. However, it appears that both rides are open at RWR, leaving a major opportunity for both teams.
However, RWR might not be completely off the table. The wording of the confirmation allows room to assume the team could run an open rather than Chartered car at Daytona and throughout 2025.
For now, we dont know any of these teams’ plans. However, if RFK is on the grid greatly in 2025, how they go about doing so will make headlines across the industry.
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