End of West Coast swing gives RFK Racing moment to reflect, look ahead

AVONDALE, Ariz. — As Chase Briscoe celebrated his first Cup victory Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, and Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick relished strong finishes, RFK Racing pondered a challenging weekend.

Brad Keselowski’s move from Team Penske to be an owner/driver of RFK Racing was among the biggest storylines heading into this season. Leaving a team where he routinely won races for an organization now winless in 167 Cup events would provide a good case study on what it takes to rebuild a once strong team.

NASCAR’s West Coast swing proved taxing for RFK. Uneven performances and some misfortune led to both Keselowski and Chris Buescher finishing outside the top 10 at Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. 

Sunday, Buescher placed 10th at Phoenix for his first top-10 finish of the season. Buescher, who had never finished better than 16th in a Cup race there, called his top 10 a “small win.” Keselowski, though, struggled to be competitive and was 23rd, a lap down.

“It’s been up and down,” RFK Racing Team Director Jeremy Thompson told NBC Sports about the start of the season. “We’ve had speed at times. We’ve led laps at times, and then we’ve been the last car on the lead lap and a lap down at times. It really, to me, it feels very familiar to a new team.”

With the swing of races out West complete, Thompson said it will help RFK.

“Getting back on the East Coast and regrouping, I think, will help us tremendously,” he said. “Our guys back home have done a tremendous job getting the cars built, but when you’re growing, the strain of this West Coast deal probably hurts you a little more than an established team.”

The Phoenix performance showed signs of some of the struggles the team had in the Clash at the Coliseum