RFK RACING
IOWA SPEEDWAY – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Date: August 9th, 2026
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Iowa Speedway – Newton, IA
Format: 306.25 miles / 350 laps with three stages. Stage 1: Ends at lap 70, Stage 2: Ends at lap 210, Stage 3: Ends at Lap 350
RFK RACING RACE SUMMARY: It was a hard-fought day for RFK Racing at Iowa Speedway, with all three teams battling to make the most of a challenging afternoon. Chris Buescher led the way, charging from 27th to a 13th place finish in the No. 17 Bodyguard Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Buescher and his team may not have had the raw speed they wanted, but they made their strategy count, stretching out a tank of fuel for an impressive 137 laps to salvage a strong finish. Ryan Preece also battled his way forward, climbing from 35th to 20th in the No. 60 Kroger/Force Factor Ford Mustang Dark Horse as the team continued to improve the car throughout the race. And for Brad Keselowski, it was a fight from the very beginning — after starting fourth, the No. 6 Trimble Ford Mustang Dark Horse ultimately crossed the line 27th, battling tire chatter after the team worked to repair the car following his qualifying crash. It wasn’t the day RFK Racing was looking for, but with three teams showing resilience and finding gains throughout the race, the focus now turns to taking those lessons and carrying that momentum into the final stretch of the season.
DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS
Brad Keselowski – No. 6 Trimble Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 27th
Start: 4th
Laps Led: —
Stage Results: Stage 1: 28th; Stage 2: 19th
Headline takeaway: Keselowski showed up ready for battle with some serious speed by qualifying fourth, but the No. 6 had to overcome a major setback after his qualifying crash. The team fought the entire race to get the car dialed in, but persistent tire chatter kept Keselowski from making the run he wanted, ultimately leaving him with a 27th-place finish.
Keselowski Quote: “It was a frustrating day because we started with a setback before the race even began, but I’m proud of this team for getting the car repaired after my qualifying crash and giving us a chance to compete. We fought it out all day and kept making adjustments, but we just couldn’t get the tire chatter completely under control. It’s not the result we wanted, but I appreciate everyone’s effort, and we’ll take what we learned here and move on to next week.”
Chris Buescher – No. 17 Bodyguard Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 13th
Start: 27th
Laps Led: —
Stage Results: Stage 1: 31st; Stage 2: 22nd
Headline takeaway: While the car didn’t have the pace to run with the leaders, Buescher and his team stayed aggressive on strategy and executed when it mattered most. A remarkable 137-lap fuel-saving run helped him climb 14 spots from his starting position and bring home RFK Racing’s best finish of the day in 13th.
Buescher Quote: “Didn’t have the speed that we wanted but there’s no quit on the team. Some real big strategy calls really made the difference, saving fuel was really my name of the game I somehow was able to master it and went 137 laps on one tank, so it ended up being a decent finish on the day.”
Ryan Preece – No. 60 Kroger/Force Factor Ford Mustang Dark Horse
Finish: 20th
Start: `35th
Laps Led: —
Stage Results: Stage 1: 32nd; Stage 2: 20th
Headline takeaway: Starting deep in the field in 35th, Preece steadily worked his way through traffic to finish 20th. The No. 60 got better as the race went on, and while there’s still work to do to find more short-track speed, the team leaves Iowa with valuable information and a positive step forward heading to Richmond Raceway.
Preece Quote: “Derek, everybody worked hard to make the car better, so I’m thankful for that. We got to be better at short tracks – Richmond, New Hampshire. These are all places that, you know, we got to work hard on. Our car got better today, but we weren’t any better than a lot of the other cars we were racing. I feel good about the work through and learning, just need to keep trending up.”
Point Standings:
Buescher: 9th
Preece: 17th
Keselowski: 19th
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Saturday August 15th at Richmond Raceway (Richmond, VA). The race begins at 6:00 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA Sports and Motor Racing Network (MRN).
