RKF Racing has been at the pinnacle of NASCAR Cup Series competition, along with the bottom of the barrel through its 25-year history.
While the previous handful of seasons have been brutal in terms of on-track performance, a revitalized RFK is hitting its stride during its second season with co-owner Brad Keselowki at the helm.
Spearheaded by Keselowski’s leadership on and off the track, paired with Chris Buescher coming into his own in the race car, the team founded by Jack Roush has returned to the front of the pack.
Prior to Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, Keselowski (12th) and Buescher (13th) were well above the cutline for the NASCAR Playoffs.
After scoring his first win of the season at the three-quarter-mile D-shaped oval, Buescher clinched a playoff berth for the second time in his career.
It was Buescher’s second victory in the last two seasons after winning at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway last season.
Buescher has said he doesn’t enjoy points racing. Now, his Richmond win provides a sense of ease.
“It means we don’t have to talk about points any more. I love that (smiling). I’ve been fairly vocal for myself especially, not one to shout, but I hate points racing,” Buescher said. “I’ve always hated points racing. I didn’t want us to get in that trap that the 17 team was points racing, as we’ve been heading towards the cutoff for the playoffs.
“I’ve said that consistently. We’ve talked about that as a team, that obviously it has to be in the back of our minds because we are in a good spot in points. We’ve worked hard to have that consistency. But we’re not indestructible where we’re at, that a win would take care of everything,” Buescher continued.
“That’s our sport – winning fixes everything. It fixes the points talk. It fixes morale. It fixes bad weekends. Everything can be changed by winning.”
For Keselowski, standing alongside Buescher in victory lane wearing his metaphorical co-owner’s hat gave the 2012 Cup Series champion a sense of pride.
“I take the most pleasure from seeing a group of people come together, whether it be the ones that you see with the drivers and the pit crew and the team members or the people you don’t see, which is the mechanics, management team, so forth, the partners. I take just as much pride in that as anything that I’ve done,” Keselowski said.
“Really my job is to be a facilitator, it’s to try to make sure the resources are there in combination with the right people to be successful.
“In that light, I don’t feel like I really do that much work, to be honest. I just try to listen to the people that do the work, make sure they’re getting what they need in a servant leadership style. Some days are better than others, certainly.
“We have all of our flaws. I have all of the flaws that come with that.”
As Keselowski reflected on the growth at RFK, he believes the results are showing, but there’s always more to build on.
“I think we’ve come a good ways,” said Keselowski, who led 102 laps and finished sixth on Sunday. “I’m not looking up today, everyone as strong as today was, and saying that we got everything we want and need to win every week. We’re progressing and we’re putting ourselves in position.”
With only five races remaining in the regular season, Buescher and the No. 17 team recalibrate their focus on the 10-race playoffs.
While the team may be considered an underdog once the playoffs begin, Buescher feels it can turn heads.
“That was part of our goal at the beginning of the season. At RFK we talked about winning races, making the playoffs, and being able to be a contender in the playoffs,” Buescher said. “We don’t want to be a placeholder by any means either.
“When I look at the races we have in the first half of the playoffs especially, I feel really confident that we can be a contender and we can move forward.”