Chris Buescher has NASCAR Kansas race penalty amended, now 16th in points standings
Chris Buescher’s penalty from the May 15 NASCAR Kansas race has been amended, NASCAR announced May 28 in a statement.
During a hearing with the National Motorsports Appeals Panel, a three-person panel decided that Buescher “violated one or more, but not all, of the rule(s) set forth in the penalty notice.”
Buecher’s No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Ford was in violation of NASCAR rule 14.5.4, which oversees the front bumper cover, but was not in violation of rule 14.1.2, which covers the exhaust cover panel.
Buescher’s penalty goes from 60 points to 30 in the driver championship standings and team owner points. Buescher also loses five playoff points in both the team and owner standings, a two-race suspension for crew chief Scott Graves, which he has already served, and a $75,000 fine for the team.
After the amended penalty, Buescher moves from 23rd to 16th in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
In the statement from NASCAR, the panel provided a further explanation on its finding.
“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 explanation read. “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.”
RFK Racing shared a statement on X, formerly Twitter, following the amended penalty for Buescher.
“We appreciate the opportunity to present our case to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel today and are pleased that the panel overturned one of the two assessed penalties,” the statement read. “Our goal is to always comply fully with the letter of the NASCAR Rulebook, and our focus is now looking forward to competing for a win in Nashville this weekend.”
When is NASCAR Nashville race?
The NASCAR Nashville race is set for 6 p.m. CT on June 1 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Chris Buescher wins
Chris Buescher has six career wins in the NASCAR Cup Series. His last was in September 2024 at Watkins Glen and his first was at Pocono in 2016.
Chris Buescher stats
Chris Buescher has one top 5 finish and six top 10 finishes in 13 points races in 2025.
Why was Chris Buescher penalized?
Chris Buescher was penalized for violations regarding the front bumper cover (NASCAR rule 14.5.4) and exhaust panel cover (NASCAR 14.1.2) in the May 15 NASCAR Kansas race. He finished eighth in that race and the penalties were discovered after the car was taken to the NASCAR Research and Development Center.
Chris Buescher hometown
Chris Buescher is from Prosper, Texas.
Updated NASCAR Cup Series points standings after Chris Buescher’s amended penalty
- William Byron: 499 points (1 win, 11 playoff points)
- Kyle Larson -29 points behind leader (3 wins, 23 playoff points)
- Christopher Bell -74 (3 wins, 16 playoff points)
- Chase Elliott -84
- Tyler Reddick -104
- Denny Hamlin -109 (2 wins, 12 playoff points)
- Ryan Blaney -136 (2 playoff points)
- Ross Chastain -149 (1 win, 5 playoff points)
- Joey Logano -161 (1 win, 7 playoff points)
- Alex Bowman -166
- Chase Briscoe -185
- Bubba Wallace -187 (2 playoff points)
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -215
- Ryan Preece -219 (1 playoff point)
- Austin Cindric -220 (1 win, 7 playoff points)
- Chris Buescher -225 (-5 playoff points)
- Josh Berry -230 (1 win, 6 playoff points)
- AJ Allmendinger -232
- Kyle Busch -233
- Michael McDowell -240
- John Hunter Nemechek -242
- Carson Hocevar -251
- Todd Gilliland -253
- Austin Dillon -255
- Ty Gibbs -269
Follow sports writer Austin Chastain on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ or reach him via email at achastain@gannett.com.
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