Preece 3rd, Keselowski 11th, and Buescher 13th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, NV (March 16, 2025) – Some things may stay in Vegas, but the momentum Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing captured on Sunday is something they’ll hope to carry with them as the season progresses. Led by Ryan Preece, who matched a career-high 3rd place finish, all three RFK teams finished among the top 15. Brad Keselowski posted a strong 11th-place finish, while Chris Buescher came home 13th.
6 Brad Keselowski – RECAP
Brad Keselowski came to Las Vegas looking to turn his luck around, and with a determined, focused effort, that’s exactly what he did. Keselowski and crew chief Jeremy Bullins worked throughout the day, adjusting the car and dialing it in for the final run that netted the Castrol Ford an 11th-place finish.
Although the car was difficult to turn early in the race, Keselowski, a three-time Las Vegas winner, overcame the handling issue using experience. Studying the lines of others, Keselowski adjusted, finding more efficient ways to roll the corners. This, combined with Bullins’ careful chassis adjustments, allowed the car to run inside the top 15 consistently during the 267-lap race.
A critical moment came late in the race when several cars in front of Keselowski crashed. It was this type of event that had impacted the #6 car on multiple occasions this year. This time, though, spotter TJ Majors navigated Keselowski through the crash, helping him escape damage. A final pit stop in the closing laps allowed Keselowski and Bullins to top off fuel, make some short-run adjustments, and make an aggressive push toward a very solid finish.
“All in all, not a bad day for us,” said Keselowski. “At times, we had great speed, especially at the end. This is the type of run we need to build off of.”
17 Chris Buescher – RECAP
After a strong qualifying effort, Chris Buescher rolled off 11th on Sunday in the Smith’s / Dasani Ford. Quickly, though, as the cars fanned out through the sweeping corners of the mile-and-a-half Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Buescher faced a challenge. The swirling ‘dirty’ air churned up, making the car tight and difficult to turn.
With plenty of racing still ahead, crew chief Scott Graves went to work, finding ways to help Buescher. After several chassis adjustments, the Smith’s / Dasani Ford was able to slice through the air better, helping Buescher navigate the corners. With the car more to his liking, Buescher charged into the top 10. Unfortunately, some track position was later lost when the #17 needed to make an unscheduled pit stop to tighten a loose wheel.
Still, there was a rally, and Buescher fought back to a respectable 13th-place finish.
“We started off really, really tight, and it took us a while to get it underneath us,” said Buescher. “We spent much of the day working on it, and we got a decent finish out of it.”
60 Ryan Preece – RECAP
There have been glimpses of greatness for Ryan Preece so far in 2025, and those were once again on display Sunday as he brought home the RFK organization’s best finish of the season. Preece’s third-place Las Vegas finish also matched a career-best (Talladega 2019) for the Berlin, CT driver.
Preece started 12th – his best-ever qualifying effort at a mile-and-a-half track. Confidence was high for the driver of the Consumer Cellular Ford, who appears to be in the midst of a breakout season after leading three of the season’s first four races.
Preece began the day hoping for long runs, and eventually, they did come. That strategy proved successful. As the runs wore on, Preece was able to consistently keep speed in the car. He used that to his advantage. Additionally, lightning-fast pit stops – one as fast as 8.7 seconds – helped Preece climb into the top five during the race’s final stage. In the closing laps, crew chief Derrick Finley urged Preece to save fuel, but a late-race caution made fuel conservation a non-issue. Preece was able to top off, hold his track position, and come home with a podium finish.
“Going into the season, our motto was, ‘live by the fire, die by the fire,’ take chances, be aggressive, and be on the offense,” said Preece. “I’m really grateful to come out here and have a great day because, at the beginning of the season, this is really what sets the tone.”
Up Next:
Homestead-Miami Speedway (Homestead, FL) Sunday, March 23, 2025, @ 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1
About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 38th season in 2025, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988, and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass 300 wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.
In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content, and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
