Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Team Issued L1-Level Penalty Post-Kansas

David Rosenblum | NKP for Ford Performance

Chris Buescher and the No. 17 RFK Racing team were hit by a heavy penalty following last Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. On Thursday morning NASCAR issued it's post-race penalty report, and it contained an L1-Level penalty for Buescher's team.

The infraction was discovered after the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse was taken back randomly to the NASCAR R&D Center for further inspection following the race at Kansas Speedway.

The No. 17 RFK Racing team has been fined $75,000, and assessed with a loss of 60 driver and 60 owner points as well as five driver Playoff Points and five owner Playoff Points. Additionally, Buescher's crew chief Scott Graves has been suspended from the next two NASCAR Cup Series events.

According to the NASCAR Penalty Report, Buescher's car was found to be in violation of Sections 14.1.C (Overall assembled vehicle rules) and 14.5.4.G (Front bumper cover) of the NASCAR Cup Series Rule Book.

On the Hauler Talk Podcast, NASCAR Cup Series Director Brad Moran explained that the infraction stemmed from excessive reinforcement behind the front bumper foam.

"As we tore it down, we found an issue with the front bumper cover. The rules were put in place back in like 2022. It is a single-source part, but it is an area we allow reinforcing in," Moran said. "It's allowed to be reinforced behind the front bumper foam, and a maximum of two inches around that area. Unfortunately, the 17 did not meet that rule, and had a larger area than what is permitted to be bonded into that nose piece."

RFK Racing issued a statement on the penalties on Thursday, where the team explained it is still reviewing the infraction and has yet to determine whether it will exercise the option to appeal the penalties.

"RFK Racing ackowledges the penalties assessed by NASCAR to the No. 17 Ford Mustang following this past weekend's race in Kansas. We remain committed to full compliance with NASCAR's rules. At this time, we are carefully reviewing the details of the situation to determine if we will file an appeal within the timeframe allotted," the team said in the statement.

Due to the 60-point penalty, Buescher will drop from 12th to 24th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship driver standings while the No. 17 team drops from 13th to 24th in the NASCAR Cup Series championship owner standings.

Buescher scored an eighth-place finish at Kansas Speedway, which marked the driver's sixth top 10 finish through the opening 12 races of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Buescher, who has just one DNF this season, has an average finish of 15.5.