NASCAR sponsors are often associated with drivers; over the years we have seen brands getting recognized for partnering with star drivers. Who can forget Dale Jr.’s iconic #8 Bud car? Later, Hendrick Motorsports made the most of this marketing strategy that worked wonders for them on the racetrack. Whereas the partners linked with their drivers got the visibility and reach they were looking for. Now, it’s Brad Keselowski’s turn to switch things up.

Following the introduction of liveries for RFK Racing’s 2025 season, Brad Keselowski revealed the idea behind the uniform paint schemes for all three of their cars.

Brad Keselowski and RFK Racing have a unique business model

RFK Racing, under the leadership of veteran driver Brad Keselowski, is making huge strides in terms of team expansion. With the addition of the third driver, Ryan Preece, RFK Racing will be competing with three cars in the 2025 season. That’s not it; on the business side of things, they’ve managed to retain key sponsors like Castrol, Fastenal, and Build Submarines. However, with the addition of a third entry, Keselowski and Co. knew they needed reinforcements and more support, and they secured that with the arrival of Kroger. With the option of multiple brands that can fuel their racing, the team has released the paint schemes for the #6 and #60 entries with Castrol. This decision by RFK Racing has left fans confused about why the team would split a brand between multiple drivers.

“I wish they wouldn’t spread them between cars. I wish 17=Fastenal, 6=Castrol, 60=build submarines or some combination. I wish the teams had a visible identity. I think that helped more than we know in the 90s-00s. 24=🌈, 48=🟦 3=⬛️.” A fan wrote on X. Well, Brad Keselowski, who is active on social media, was quick to respond on why his team opted for this strategy, and it’s deeper than just brand visibility and connection to a driver.

“We get a lot of questions about why we do this at @RFKracing Mainly 2 reasons-
1). Our partners get more value due to increased access to our team with all 3 drivers and cars.
2). Our employees have increased assurance that if a sponsor leaves, we are significantly less vulnerable to not being able to fund a team.” Keselowski commented on X.

For example, when you think about Jeff Gordon’s epic paint schemes, the rainbow Dupont #24 Chevy stands out. The same can be said about seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson and the #48 Lowe’s race car. Well, this was also the case with the Black #3 RCR Chevy for Dale Earnhardt. Paint schemes backed by iconic colors certainly made it easier for brands to connect with the drivers and the brands. And this was exactly an argument made by a race fan after RFK Racing announced new paint schemes with Castrol.

Keselowski‘s point is simple. RFK’s strategy gives brands greater visibility when placing their logos on the car. After all, that’s the biggest reason a sponsor enters the sport. And in a way, this strategy does seem effective. A few weeks earlier, RFK announced the entry of Kroger as a sponsor for the three drivers Buescher, Keselowski, and a new entry to RFK Ryan Preece. Since all three are drivers with their own merit, anytime one of the RFK cars heads to Victory Lane, the name of all partners remains visible!

Well, not everything is going in favor of Keselowski and RFK Racing. Thanks to the arrival of retail giant Kroger, the team is rumored to be losing out on one of its current partners.

King’s Hawaiian is expected to leave RFK Racing

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King’s Hawaiian and their eye-catching bright orange paint schemes might be headed out of the RFK Racing ahead of the 2025 season. They mostly sponsored Brad Keselowski’s #6 ride for the last three years. A report by Adam Stern from Sports Business Journal states that this change is because of the new Kroger sponsorship of the team. This partnership means that Kroger will have co-sponsored cars with many of its vendor partners.

Bimbo Bakeries USA, which makes English muffins to hot dog buns, and Entemann’s donuts are all partners for Kroger Racing. All of these brands featured on the No. 47 JTG Daugherty car, which has now been rebranded to HYAK Motorsports. The report by Stern also stated that King’s Hawaiian is looking at the potential option of joining another NASCAR team in 2025. But there’s a possibility that they might leave the sport for good if they are unable to find the right suitor.

Well, there’s a lot of shuffling and positive changes that happened on the business side of things at RFK Racing. Hopefully, this same intent will be followed by their drivers on the racetracks next year. Although Keselowski made it to the playoffs, the 2024 season wasn’t a big success for RFK Racing.