RFK Racing currently races with three full-time entries, and the team hopes to continue doing so in 2027. However, the current charters landscape is creating an uncertain future for the team.
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"As it stands today, there are no charters that I'm aware of that are for sale," co-owner Brad Keselowski told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week.
"If there was, we'd certainly talk to everyone that we'd think could potentially sell one, and they know our interest. We'll have to see. It's still May. We really don't need a charter until February of '27."
RFK Racing owns two of its charters outright. These belong to the No. 6 that Keselowski drives and the No. 17 that Chris Buescher drives.
đ° âWe canât control the fact that someone has to be willing to sell it first, so weâll let the cards play out.â
Brad @keselowski on the state of charters as @RFKRacing tries to find a third one for the 2027 season and beyond.
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— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) May 1, 2026
The charter for the No. 60 that Ryan Preece drives is actually the property of Rick Ware Racing. RFK Racing has spent the last two seasons leasing charters from its fellow Cup Series team. It used one charter in 2025 and then leased the other charter in 2026.
This will no longer be possible in 2027 for multiple reasons, the biggest of which is that Legacy Motor Club has an agreement in place to purchase one of Rick Ware Racing's charters.
With Legacy Motor Club expanding to three full-time entries next season, RFK Racing will have to look elsewhere in order to remain a three-car team. However, the issue is availability.
NASCAR only created 36 charters back in 2016. As last December's antitrust lawsuit trial between NASCAR and 23XI Racing/Front Row Motorsports revealed, the sanctioning body could potentially create a new charter. It has the opportunity to do so if a new OEM enters the sport.
The current charters became permanent in December after NASCAR reached a settlement with 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.
However, the existing charter owners would have to approve this move as it would likely affect them financially. The money split would change with another charter entering the equation.
"What we can't control is that there is a finite amount of them," Keselowski added. "They're not making more charters, so we can't control the fact that somebody has to be willing to sell it first. So, we have to let the cards play out."
Keselowski added that purchasing a new charter would cost his team a staggering amount of money. He guessed the amount could be anywhere between $40-80 million, which would be a record.
Preece, the driver who could be left without a ride, knows that the future is uncertain. He told Eric Estepp on Saturday that he really wants to stay at RFK Racing. He likes where he is at and the tools that he has available as he pursues his first points-paying win.
But he also knows that he only has a limited amount that he can control, so that is where he will focus.
"I'm hopeful, and I can't do anything more than trying to go out this weekend and produce a great Saturday that leads into a great Sunday," Preece said.
