NASCAR Cup Texas
Brad Keselowski says 'multiple paths' for third team while seeking charter
The No. 60 has been fielded the past two seasons due to leases from Rick Ware
Matt Weaver
Edited: May 3, 2026, 3:48 AM
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Ryan Preece, RFK Racing, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman - Getty Images
Right now, RFK Racing has three teams and drivers but only two charters secured for next season, leaving the appearance of musical chairs for the organization co-owned by driver Brad Keselowski.
In addition to Keselowski, the team also fields Ford Mustang Dark Horses for Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece but the latter has driven a No. 60 that utilized two different leased charters from Rick Ware Racing the past two seasons.
Keselowski says RFK Racing is in the market for a third charter, preferably to purchase, but also conceded earlier in the week on SiriusXM that there are not any available right now.
"As it stands today, there are no charters that I’m aware of that are for sale," Keselowski said. "If there was, we’d certainly talk to everyone we’d think could potentially sell one, and they know our interest."
They can no longer lease a Ware charter because a charter can only be leased once per charter period. One of the two Ware charters were recently sold to Legacy Motor Club for the start of next season too.
If a charter is placed on the open market, it could command upwards of $80 million due to supply and demand but also increased value due to the results of the NASCAR antitrust lawsuit that made them permanent assets.
Speaking to the media on Saturday morning at Texas Motor Speedway, Keselowski said his organization has contingency plans aplenty to hopefully service their current roster and partnership commitments.
“There’s always a path, you know,” Keselowski told Motorsport.com. “I don't think we're ready to, you know, announce anything of what our paths would be but we have different things we are looking at.
“I would say that our desire is to land a charter. That hasn’t happened to date, but we haven’t let go of that. If that doesn’t happen, we will find a way to do the best we can with all the commitments we have to our people and our partners.”
In some ways, the charter system is constraining RFK right now but Keselowski views it as a net positive. On one hand, they have enough support and partnerships to field three full-time cars.
In any other era, RFK would just field the third car but it’s not economically viable to run a team without a charter right now.
“The charter system is the only thing that keeps the middle of the sport together,” Keselowski said. “And you know, this is a microcosm for life in general (but) success is judged by the strength of the middle and the charters have made the middle of the sport stronger.
“And I think that’s a good thing overall. It doesn't really make a difference to the top. It doesn't prevent you from failing but you can still fail. But the middle of the sport is stronger now than it ever has been, because of the charters, and I think that deserves some credit.”
At the center of this fluid situation could be Preece, who has raced under the two leased charters since joining RFK and would look like a possible odd man out at face value. Keselowski has frequently found himself as the odd man out over the years at JTG Daugherty Racing, Stewart-Haas Racing and maybe at RFK too.
“That's not a normal I want it to be,” Preece said. “My career path has been way unorthodox, not average. The typical race car driver that makes it to Cup had years to develop in Trucks, Xfinity with OEMs backing them or some kind of financial backers.
“When all of this started, and I was winning races and championships in the Northeast, I was waiting for this infamous phone call that truthfully doesn’t come. I got one from Tommy Baldwin and he got me through the approval process.”
Preece said that he stepped away from his full-time ride in the O’Reilly Series at JD Motorsports after the 2016 season -- one where a good day was a top-15 -- because he believed he could be a winner in taking a handful of starts with Joe Gibbs Racing.
He did.
“So that's all I know how to do and I've had a lot of support from the people at Kroger and Tad Geschickter. I mean, there's been a lot of waves in my career for sure.”
Photos from Texas - Saturday
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Texas - Saturday, in photos
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Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
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Texas - Saturday, in photos
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Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
Texas - Saturday, in photos
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