Brad Keselowski-owned RFK Racing announced the signing of Ryan Preece on November 19, 2024, for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Preece is slated to operate the #60 Ford, expanding the team’s fleet to three full-time vehicles. Concurrently, Kroger has transitioned their sponsorship to RFK Racing.
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However, recent discussions have centered on Preece’s recent performance decline, raising questions about the rationale behind his recruitment. Keselowski addressed the matter during a Q&A session.
When queried about his motivation for incorporating Preece as his third driver, Keselowski drew comparisons to Logano’s circumstances in 2012, implying he perceives untapped potential in Preece. He said:
“Joey Logano’s career in 2012 and some pundits maybe saying that they didn’t think he deserved a Cup ride and now to see that it seems a little bit laughable now that he’s won his third championship.”
“I think it’s a testament to not being in the right situation. I don’t care who you are as a driver if you’re not in the right situation – you take the best driver in Cup and put him in a situation that’s not right, it’s not gonna work.”
Speaking about Preece, he continued, “I see Ryan, I see someone who has talent. He has work ethic and probably hasn’t been in the opportunities he needs to be in to be successful.”
“So my commitment is to taking someone like Ryan and putting him in that spot where he can win and with the right resources, with the right team around him and the right support structure and that’s what I see out of Ryan. He’s got the talent.”
Preece is set to come on board with the organization for his fifth full-time rodeo in the NASCAR Cup Series, jumping ship from Stewart-Haas Racing after it shuttered its doors at the end of the 2024 Cup season.
His high-water mark in the final playoff standings was in 2023 when he landed at P23. During his five-year stint as a full-timer with JTG Daugherty Racing and SHR, Preece brought home the bacon with four top-5 finishes under his belt.
Keselowski calls for a revision of NASCAR’s playoff format.
While acknowledging Logano’s skill and recent championship victory, Keselowski also expressed concern about the current playoff system’s tendency to favor certain drivers at the expense of those who perform consistently well throughout the season.
On November 11, 2024, the RFK Racing executive shared his final thoughts on social media after the 2024 NASCAR season finale. Among his observations, he stated: “2 things can be true at the same time — Joey Logano deserved to win the championship; This format doesn’t feel ideal for rewarding the NASCAR Cup championship.”
Although the statement appears ambivalent, given Keselowski’s previous criticisms of the format, it is evident that he is not entirely satisfied with the current system. The #6 RFK Racing driver expressed his opinion previously:
“I have a hard time as a competitor and a fan of the sport understanding how drivers with the most wins routinely don’t win championships. And I don’t think that feels right to me. So I would like to see if there was any format changes, more value on race wins as a whole throughout the duration of the season.”
According to Sports Business Journal, NASCAR is planning to evaluate the playoff format, with potential modifications possibly being implemented as early as 2025.
However, due to time constraints before the commencement of the next season, a significant restructuring may need to be postponed until 2026 if deemed necessary. In the interim, they may consider making minor adjustments.
