NASCAR Rumors: Brad Keselowski potentially inches closer to third charter deal with RWR amid Ryan Preece testing RFK car
Brad Keselowski, co-owner of NASCAR team RFK Racing, is rumored to be on the verge of securing a third charter deal. Despite stating last week that there were no updates regarding an additional car, recent developments suggest potential progress in this direction.
Ryan Preece is expected to drive the No. 60 car for RFK Racing next season. Brad Moran, the Managing Director of the NASCAR Cup Series, confirmed that Preece remained at Homestead last Sunday to work with the No. 60 car, which was previously driven by Joey Hand.
"At Homestead...Preece was in the 60 car, which is his drive for the next year," Moran said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
RFK Racing currently operates two full-time charters in the NASCAR Cup Series, with the third charter for the No. 60 car running part-time.
The rumors began circulating in mid-August, suggesting that RFK Racing would secure a major sponsorship deal with Kroger and add a third car to their lineup for the 2025 season. Ryan Preece of Stewart-Haas Racing was widely considered the top candidate for this new ride, and there were discussions about potentially acquiring a charter from Rick Ware Racing (RWR).
However, RWR President Robby Benton confirmed last month that RWR would field two cars in next year's Daytona 500. Additionally, last week, Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass inquired about Brad Keselowski's plans for a third car, to which Keselowski responded that there had been no changes.
"We're excited about our future... I'm sorry, I don't have any announce for you," Keselowski said.
RFK Racing has struggled to replicate their past success after Keselowski joined as co-owner in 2022.
Brad Keselowski on hybrid car addition to NASCAR
In an interview with The Athletic last month, Brad Keselowski shared an unpopular opinion about adding hybrids to NASCAR. However, he believes that many fans do not agree with him and dislike hybrids/electric vehicles.
"A hybrid in NASCAR would be a good thing for the sport, and there are a lot of fans who don’t think that. They don’t like the idea of hybrids and certainly hate the idea of electric vehicles. Hybrid is too close to that electric vehicle line, and they’re like, 'Nah, it’s bad,'" Keselowski said.
Earlier this year, Keselowski expressed interest in expanding RFK Racing into the IMSA SportsCar Series. He envisioned starting a third Cup team and focusing on IMSA's hybrid engine program, rather than entering the Xfinity or Truck Series.
"As NASCAR continues to get heavier and heavier into road course racing, I think that pedigree (IMSA) offers a lot of advantages to the ecosystem of a successful Cup team...I don’t see us on a path to a Xfinity or Truck team in the near future,” Keselowski said.
Keselowski will next race in the Cup Series at Martinsville, where he has 2 wins and 17 top-10 finishes.