Is RFK Racing one of the favorite teams to win the Daytona 500? Well, if you are to factor in their year-on-year growth, Brad Keselowski’s return to victory lane last year and expansion to a three-car operation, they are doing all they can to bring the Harley J. Earl Trophy. Despite having a storied NASCAR career, Keselowski hasn’t regained supreme at the high banks on Daytona in the crown jewel event. Now that the team has gained momentum with small wins, they are now eyeing to contend for the big prize in 2025.

Looking at the statistics of RFK Racing drivers at the Great American Race in the Gen 7 car, it feels like their road to victory lane is a long shot. Apart from Chris Buescher’s P4 finish in 2023, they haven’t posted a solid result. But on the flip side, the likes of Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Austin Cindric have bagged the race in the Next Gen era. So, the optimism within the RFK Racing camp is indeed justified, and co-owner Keselowski is looking forward to this challenge.

Brad Keselowski outlines his objectives ahead of the Daytona 500

The 2012 Cup Series champ has had his struggles in the Next Gen era of NASCAR racing. While the numbers shed light on his on-track struggles, Keselowski had to shoulder the responsibility of being a team owner as well. But given how the 2024 season was the year where they turned a corner for good, the team is laser-focused on building on this momentum. And that begins with the Daytona 500.

Keselowski reflecting on his role as owner at RFK Racing and preparing for the crown jewel race said, “Day 1 walking into now what’s RFK, I knew it was going to be about challenges, I wouldn’t have come in if it wasn’t. It was the part of the fun, knowing that you have to fix it, tune it up. You know there’s never been a race that we prepared more for every year than the Daytona 500, and I feel like we’ve been so close, can’t wait to see if we can break through in 2025.”

This optimism and confidence stems from the team’s performance at the 3.5-mile tri-oval racetrack during the fall races. In 2023, when Buescher finished 4th at the Daytona 500, he baked this solid run with a win at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 event in the second half of the season. Whereas, Brad Keselowski and the #6 team finished runner-up in the same race. So, they seemed to have found a way to crack the code on their racecars at the high banks of Daytona.

Another factor that works in favor of Keselowski is that he is reuniting with his former crew chief, Jeremy Bullins. They worked together during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns and bagged a total of five wins. The highlight of this partnership was the 2020 season where they racked up four wins and finished the season in the runner-up spot. This was the closest, Keselowski had come to winning his second Cup Series title. But, given the rise of new teams like 23XI Racing and Trackhouse, what are the realistic goals for RFK going into 2025?

Expect a deep playoff run from one of the RFK Racing cars

Now adding a third car, and bringing in a new sponsor is an indicator of a team headed in the right direction. However, at the end of the day, a team is judged based on their on-track performances, and let’s just say the RFK Racing is a work in progress. Ever since Brad Keselowski took over the ownership roles, the likes of 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing have both made it to championship races.

Not only that, like RFK they have also grown in strength expanding to three cars going into the 2025 season. So, the competition is cutthroat, to say the least, and not to forget, you have big brother teams like Team Penske, JGR and HMS that are expected to do well. Where does RFK Racing stack up against their rivals and what are the realistic expectations they can have for 2025? Well, Keselowski would like all three RFK Racing cars to make it to the playoffs, and one of them possibly contend for the championship.

“So we look to 2025 and kind of say, what are our hopes and dreams? We want to be contenders. We want to win multiple races, we want to put all our cars into the playoffs. And at least get one of them to make a deep run in the playoffs. I think we’ll have a good chance at that, we got some really good people and really good resources.” Keselowski added this via his YouTube channel.

What are your predictions and assumptions about the RFK Racing team for the 2025 NASCAR season?