Sports · Motorsport · 1 hr ago
RFK Racing Nearly Laps Talladega Field Before Late Wrecks
Three RFK Racing drivers surged ahead at Talladega during the opening stage of the NASCAR Cup race.
Many drivers had been saving fuel at reduced throttle, a common strategy at recent superspeedway races.
Brad Keselowski passed the field without help, then joined teammates Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher in accelerating away from the pack.
The trio built a lead of more than 40 seconds and swept the top three spots in Stage 1, while the rest of the field nearly got lapped.
Preece said other teams would respond so that such a gap would not happen again, and suggested paying drivers for leading laps to encourage harder racing.
All three RFK drivers were later caught in wrecks, with Preece finishing 13th and leading the team.
Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher pulled away from the field in their RFK Racing Fords during Stage 1 of the NASCAR Cup race at Talladega.
The trio built a lead of more than 40 seconds and swept the top three positions in the stage.
Preece said the team decided to accelerate about a lap before making its move.
He said other teams would react to the strategy and prevent it from happening again.
All three RFK drivers were caught in wrecks later in the race, with Preece finishing 13th.
- Who
- RFK Racing drivers Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher.
- What
- The trio pulled far ahead of the field and took the top three spots in Stage 1 before all three were caught in later wrecks.
- When
- During the 2026 NASCAR Cup race at Talladega. The article was published October 25, 2026.
- Where
- Talladega.
- Why
- The drivers accelerated while the rest of the field was saving fuel. Preece said their incentive was to reach the end of the stage in a strong position.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Keselowski, Preece and Buescher accelerated away from the field and built a lead of more than 40 seconds.
The three RFK teammates ran out front and took the top three spots in Stage 1.
All three RFK drivers were caught up in wrecks, and Preece finished 13th.
- Team
- RFK Racing
- Drivers
- Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher
- Lead
- More than 40 seconds
- Stage result
- RFK drivers swept the top three spots in Stage 1
- Preece's finish
- 13th
- Race venue
- Talladega
What people are saying
You'll never see that again
No, cause we police our own
To us, our incentive is to get to the end of the stage, not to lead at Lap 5 or 10.