What’s Happening?

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel has ruled on RFK Racing’s May 19 appeal of the May 15 penalty, which penalized Chris Buescher’s No. 17 team for an unapproved modification to the front bumper cover.

• Today, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel claimed that the team violated Rule 14.5.4.G but not Rule 14.1.2 B, amending but upholding the penalties. Graves is still suspended, and the team will still face the same monetary fine, but a modified non-playoff points penalty.
• Rather than 60 points, the penalty has been dropped to 30 driver and team owner points. Initially, the 60-point penalty dropped Buescher from 12th to 24th in points. Now, the No. 17 will jump from 23rd up to 16th, back in the Playoff picture.
• A statement from the NMAP said, “The panel concluded that NASCAR met its burden of proof regarding the reinforcement of the front bumper cover but did not meet it regarding the trimming of the exhaust panel cover. The rule book regarding the exhaust panel trimming lacked specificity on the amount trimmed or not trimmed.”
• The initial penalty, a violation of NASCAR Rules 14.1.C, 14.5.4.G, and 14.1.2.B, saw Buescher and RFK Racing penalized 60 points, five owner-driver playoff points, and a $75,000 fine. Furthermore, NASCAR suspended RFK Racing Crew Chief Scott Graves for two races.

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RFK Racing has had their penalty reduced

NASCAR raced at Kansas Speedway on May 11, 2025. RFK Racing left that race weekend with an L1 penalty for two violations handed to the No. 17 car driven by Chris Buescher in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Originally, the team was fined $75,000. They were also hit with a loss of 60 owner points, 60 driver points and 5 NASCAR Playoff driver and owner points. Crew chief Scott Graves was issued a two race suspension.

The violations were discovered at the NASCAR R&D Center after the race.

14.1.C: Overall Assembled Vehicle Rules: “Vehicles must comply with Section 14 Vehicle and Driver Safety Specifications of the NASCAR Rule Book at all times during an Event. Failure to comply will be subject to Penalty pursuant to Section 10 Violations and Disciplinary Action.”

14.5.4.G: Front Bumper Cover: “The front fascia may be strengthened on the inner surface with bonded on non-metallic materials in the area contacting the bumper foam and up to 2 inches further in all directions.”

RFK Racing elected to appeal both violations.

It’s rare that a NASCAR appeal is won. However, in this case, the team has won the appeal, partial.

On Wednesday, the appeals panel reached a ruling…

Kansas Race Results

Appeals panel ruling

The appeals panel announced the following:

Upon hearing the testimony, the decisions of the National Motorsports Appeals Panel are:

– That the Appellant violated one or more, but not all, of the Rule(s) set forth in the Penalty Notice.

— The team violated 14.5.4 – Front Bumper Cover

— The team did not violate 14.1.2 – Exhaust Cover Panel

That the Panel amends the original Penalty assessed by NASCAR to read:

— A loss of 30 championship driver and team owner points

— A loss of 5 driver and team owner Playoff points

— Two-race suspension for the crew chief

— $75,000 fine for team

In reaching the above decision, the panel provided the following explanation: “The panel concluded that NASCAR met its burden of proof regarding the reinforcement of the front bumper cover but did not meet it regarding the trimming of the exhaust panel cover. The rule book regarding the exhaust panel trimming lacked specificity on the amount trimmed or not trimmed. Accordingly, the Panel reduced the owner and driver points penalty from 60 to 30 points.”

The Appeals Panel members for this hearing:

– Mr. Tom DeLoach

– Mr. Cary Tharrington

– Mr. Kevin Whitaker

RFK Racing Statement

Following the ruling, the team issued the following statement:

“We appreciate the opportunity to present our case to the Nationals Motorsports Appeals Panel today and are pleased that the Panel overturned one of the two assessed penalties.”

“Our goal is to always comply fully with the letter of the NASCAR Rulebook, and our focus is not looking forward to competing for a win in Nashville this weekend.”

Links

Chris Buescher | Kansas Speedway | NASCAR

What’s Happening?

In the latest episode of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk podcast, Mike Forde provided more details on NASCAR’s pursuit of more horsepower. Forde even stated that, regarding an increase in horsepower, “we’ll see if this is something that’s put into place this season.”

Is 750 Just Around the Corner?

On the May 28 episode of Hauler Talk, Mike Forde, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Communications, followed up on comments made by NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer. Tuesday morning, Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that a horsepower increase in the Cup Series “is on the table and something that we’re discussing daily.”

On Wednesday, Forde confirmed on Hauler Talk that the Driver Advisory and Team Owner councils met this past week. During those meetings, NASCAR officials discussed increasing horsepower, which he claimed pleased the drivers.

“There was a Driver Advisory Council and a Team Owner Council meeting last Wednesday. Horsepower was a topic, I believe it was something that we [NASCAR] proactively brought up to have a further discussion of improving the short track package, and obviously, the drivers all embraced that topic and requested more and more horsepower.” — Mike Forde

Forde then claimed that, based on this feedback, NASCAR is in talks with engine builders to increase horsepower to improve the NASCAR Gen Seven short track package. Forde said, “That is something that we said, ‘You got it. We’ll look into it.’ So we are working with the engine builders now on that exact topic.”

However, during this episode, Forde was quick to remind listeners that they shouldn’t expect a major increase, such as a return to the 1000 horsepower days. “900 [horsepower], 1,000 horsepower, I guess never say never, but I would be blown away if that is a number that we look at,” Forde said.

Regardless, Forde then suggested that this increase could come into play as early as later this season.

“But as I said in the previous podcast, 750 [horsepower] is probably more what we’re looking at on that one,” Forde said. “But that is a conversation we’re having with the engine builders right now, and we’ll see if this is something that’s put into place this season.”

The Resurgence of Horsepower Talks in NASCAR

NASCAR fans have long hoped for a boost in horsepower beyond the current 650 to 670 hp package. Though this is not a new topic of conversation in NASCAR, this debate has taken on new life due to recent comments from NASCAR’s engine builders, drivers, and officials.

The current campaign for more horsepower can be traced back to comments from Roush Yates Engines CEO Doug Yates during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on May 1.

During that interview, Yates said that a return to 900 hp is unlikely, but “if we were to increase the power from 670 horsepower to about 750 horsepower, that probably wouldn’t be much of a change for us.”

Before this interview, fans and drivers had often theorized this was the case, and with these comments, Yates confirmed these theories.

The grassroots campaign, however, really gained traction during the May 7 episode of Hauler Talk, when Mike Forde claimed that he thought NASCAR would consider boosting horsepower. Forde said, “That’s something that we’re gonna look at seriously, I think.”

Now, with his latest comments combined with Sawyer’s, it looks as if NASCAR could soon be moving toward more horsepower.

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JR Motorsports heads to Nashville Superspeedway as key competitors prepare for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Carson Kvapil enters his second race at the track aiming to improve on last year’s 12th-place finish. Justin Allgaier, the current series leader, seeks to replicate his previous victory at Nashville in 2022. Meanwhile, rookies Connor Zilisch and Sammy Smith hope to leverage their momentum from recent performances. Ross Chastain, a Cup Series winner, also looks to boost his standing in this exciting event.

By the Numbers

• Justin Allgaier leads the series with 9 top-fives in 2025.
• Carson Kvapil aims to improve from a 12th-place finish in his first Nashville start.
• Connor Zilisch enters Nashville after a second-place finish in Charlotte, increasing his standing to 6th.
• JR Motorsports has recorded 2 wins and 19 top-10s in 35 Nashville starts.

Yes, But

With several strong contenders, the race could present unexpected challenges, especially for less experienced drivers like Zilisch and Kvapil. Additionally, while Allgaier has a strong record, the competition’s growing intensity might alter anticipated outcomes.

State of Play

• JR Motorsports has been competitive overall, with multiple drivers showing strong run metrics.
• Chastain looks to capitalize on his recent Cup Series win to regain form in Xfinity.
• Drivers are refining strategies on the simulator to enhance their chances of success.

What’s Next

The Nashville race could shake up the series standings, especially for rookies and those close in points. As drivers contend for points and wins, strategy execution during the race will play a critical role in determining the outcomes.

Bottom Line

The Nashville Superspeedway race offers JR Motorsports a prime opportunity to leverage their collective experience and strategic insights for a strong overall performance. Effective collaboration among drivers and teams will be key to securing the best possible finishes and maintaining momentum in the series.

Prime Video launched its inaugural season of NASCAR Cup Series coverage with an average viewership of 2.72 million for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

According to Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel (BD+P) measurement, viewership peaked at 2.92 million between 8:15 and 8:29 p.m. ET, making it the third most-watched non-broadcast NASCAR Cup Series event of the year.

The broadcast also attracted more viewers under the age of 55 (18-34, 18-49 and 25-54) than any non-broadcast NASCAR Cup Series event since at least 2022. (Nielsen’s BD+P measurement only extends to 2023).  In addition, Prime Video’s audience featured a median age of 55.8 years; more than six years younger than the average median age of viewers watching NASCAR Cup Series races on linear TV (61.9).

After Ross Chastain captured the checkered flag, a 67-minute post race show averaged 1.04M (peaking at 1.26M), despite going up against the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

Among viewers in the age 18-34 demographic, NASCAR on Prime averaged 229k. In the 18-49 demographic that went up to 800k, and reached 1 million in the 25-54 demographic. All three represent the highest viewerships for the respective demographics since at least 2022.

All figures listed are from Nielsen’s BD+P measurement. Data for Sunday’s pre-race coverage is expected to be available later this week.