RFK RACING
RICHMOND RACEWAY – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Date: August 15, 2026
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond Raceway (.75 mile oval) – Richmond, VA
Format: 300 miles / 400 laps with three stages. Stage 1: Ends at lap 70, Stage 2: Ends at lap 230, Stage 3: Ends at lap 400
RFK RACING RACE SUMMARY:
With two cars starting inside the top ten Saturday night, Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing was among the strongest cars in the field when the green flag dropped at Richmond Raceway. As the night wore on though, the challenges mounted. Tire management was paramount with teams burning through rubber quickly throughout the 400 lap race. Ryan Preece proved up to the challenge, bringing home a 17th place finish. Long green-flag runs and the timing of cautions also repeatedly impacted the running order especially for Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski. Both found themselves caught laps down after making green flag stops, which were followed shortly thereafter by caution periods. Ultimately Buescher finished 21st and Keselowski 26th.
DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS
Ryan Preece – No. 60 Castrol Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 17th
Start: 6th
Laps Led:
Stage Results: S1-11th, S2-14th
Headline takeaway: Preece had speed throughout the night, including an early run inside the top 10. Managing tire wear and overcoming changing track conditions, Preece recorded a solid 17th place finish.
Preece Quote: “It was a challenging day. Grip and tire wear was really the battle. Especially having to go 100 laps knowing I only had two sets left and was averaging 37 laps on stickers. Disappointing, especially after a P6 qualifying effort. But we were in the mix of it. I got better on the long runs, but the way the cautions fell with our strategy, it just didn’t pan out. Heading to New Hampshire though, my home track, so ready to strike there and just look ahead.”
Chris Buescher – No. 17 Kroger / Grab Kleenex Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 21st
Start: 19th
Laps Led:
Stage Results: S1-17th, S2-24th
Headline takeaway: Despite having speed and fighting through traffic much of the night, an ill-timed caution in the midst of a green flag cycle, caught Buescher a lap down. Clawing back from that, he finished 21st.
Buescher Quote: “We had a tough day. We were faster than we ended up there. A caution there (during green flag stops) when it hadn’t cycled through, kind of caught us and it pretty much snow balled from there. We got close at times but just couldn’t get back in contention.”
Brad Keselowski – No. 6 Buildsubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 26th
Start: 9th
Laps Led: —
Stage Results: S1-20th, S2–25th
Headline takeaway: A top ten qualifying performance and strong opening laps fueled early optimism. However, two cautions during green-flag pit cycles, trapped him laps down and left him fighting from behind for much of the night before finishing 26th.
Keselowski Quote: “We started out strong. Had a good qualifying effort and the car felt really good early. But we just couldn’t catch a break tonight. We pitted under green a couple times and then the yellow would come out and we’d be trapped. It’s frustrating to say the least. We’ll go back to work and be ready for New Hamshire next week.”
Point Standings:
Buescher: 10th
Preece: 17th
Keselowski: 19th
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is August 23 at New Hampshire, Speedway ( 1 Mile Oval Speedway – Loudon, NH). The race begins at 3:00 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA Network and the Performance Racing Network.
About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 39th season in 2026, 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 three hundred 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 https://www.rfkracing.com/ and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
