Chris Buescher & RFK Racing Were Likely Hunting to Maximize Downforce at Kansas, Urging NASCAR to Hand L1-Level Penalty

RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher had secured an eighth-place finish at Kansas Speedway last Sunday and moved up to 12th in the points table. But his result was completely voided by NASCAR on Thursday after No. 17 Ford Mustang was found to be in violation of Sections 14.1.C and 14.5.4.G of the Rule Book. Let’s break the exact infringement down.

The above-mentioned sections concern the overall assembled vehicle rules and the front bumper cover rules. The reason for the penalty is that the team exceeded the maximum limit of reinforcement that is allowed for the car’s front bumper covers. The bumper cover can be reinforced for up to two inches from each direction of the edge of the bumper foam behind it.

The visual released by NASCAR displays a large area of the bumper cover extending past that two-inch border. This is a clear violation of the rule. So, what’s the advantage that the team sought to gain?

NASCAR media member, Bozi Tatarevic, speculated on X, “My first thought is that stiffening the bumper cover in a specific area could allow for a subtle nose offset at speed which would maximize downforce.”

This visual shows that there is a large area of the bumper cover that extends past that 2-inch border and adding any reinforcement to that area would be a violation of the rule. pic.twitter.com/E9HEsn1Q9D

— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) May 15, 2025

As a result of this violation, Buescher and the team were each hit with a penalty of 60 championship points and five playoff points. The team was further fined $75,000. Crew Chief Scott Graves has also been suspended for two races. RFK Racing has replaced Graves with Doug Randolph for the NASCAR All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600.

Where does the penalty leave Chris Buescher?

Following the penalty, Buescher now sits 24th in the points table. His Playoff standing has also taken a major hit as he is now out of the 16-driver field. Before the points deduction, he was 33 points above the elimination line. He is now 27 points below it. His teammate Ryan Preece moved from seven points below the line to 14 points above it and is the 16th driver on the table.

The No. 17 driver faces a must-win situation to make the playoffs. This destroys the consistent efforts that he has been putting together to secure a playoff position without reaching Victory Lane.

He has finished inside the top-10 six times so far and is tied with the likes of Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin for the same. His average finish rate of 15.5 is also the ninth-best in the series. On the flip side, he has only led two laps this entire season.

Buescher could technically still win and secure a playoff seat. But it cannot be denied that his chances of making it were better based on points. Even if he juices the maximum out of his Mustang, it cannot be guaranteed that it would be enough to reach Victory Lane.