At Watkins Glen, William Byron nearly collided with Brad Keselowski’s car, and RFK Racing has evidence of the incident. The Next Gen cars have faced criticism, but NASCAR designed them to endure major impacts.
Late in the race, Byron made contact with Keselowski after the No. 6 car had been bumped by Joey Logano. Byron’s right front tire climbed onto the left rear of Keselowski’s car, and it looked like the No. 24 might hit the wall. Thankfully, the cars came to a stop, with Byron’s tire resting on Keselowski’s window net and B-post.
Brad Keselowski, who hasn’t been a standout on road courses in the Next Gen era, fought hard throughout the race. Despite a solid performance for most of the day, pit road issues and on-track troubles ruined his chances of a strong finish. Although disappointing for the team co-owner, RFK Racing didn’t dwell on it since Keselowski’s teammate secured the win.
With the NASCAR Playoffs just two weeks in, the Cup Series has already seen an upset victory and chaos among playoff drivers.
Chris Buescher Claims Victory for RFK Racing
In overtime, Chase Briscoe was the only playoff driver in the top five, but he ultimately finished sixth. This marked the first playoff race since the 2004 Chase format where no playoff driver placed in the top five.
While playoff drivers struggled, Chris Buescher shined. Known for his road course prowess, Buescher secured his first road course win in an overtime battle against Shane van Gisbergen.
After some bumper-to-bumper action, Buescher came out on top when SVG missed Turn 7, preventing a second attempt at a bump-and-run.
With this victory, RFK Racing now boasts two race winners in the Next Gen era. Both Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher have wins this season, giving the team positive momentum heading into 2025.