Chris Buescher, RFK Racing assessed L1 Penalty for front bumper cover violation at Kansas

Chris Buescher’s No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse team received an L1-level penalty from NASCAR following this past weekend’s Cup Series action at Kansas Speedway.

Buescher’s team was found to have violated Sections 14.1.C and 14.5.4.G of the NASCAR Rule Book. The rule pertains to the Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules and the Front Bumper Cover, respectively. The team was found to have exceeded the maximum reinforcement that was allowed for its front bumper covers, a discovery that was made at the R&D Center in Concord, North Carolina.

With the L1-level penalty, Buescher and his No. 17 RFK Racing Ford team have been docked 60 championship points and five Playoff points. In addition to the team being fined $75,000, Scott Graves, Buescher’s crew chief, was issued a two-race suspension for the upcoming Cup races at North Wilkesboro Speedway and at Charlotte Motor Speedway, respectively.

Buescher was initially ranked in 12th place in the 2025 driver’s standings. Due to the penalty, he has dropped to 24th place. He currently trails the top-16 Playoff cutline by 27 points with 14 regular-season events remaining on the 2025 schedule.

Following the penalty report, RFK Racing released a statement.

“We remain committed to full compliance with NASCAR’s rules. We are carefully reviewing the details of the situation to determine if we will file an appeal within the timeframe allotted.”

RFK Racing’s decision to file an appeal remains to be determined. Doug Randolph is currently listed as Buescher’s crew chief for the upcoming All-Star Race festivities, where Buescher is eligible to compete in the All-Star Race.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Sunday, May 18. The event’s coverage will commence at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.