Chris Buescher and RFK Racing had their penalty from the NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway lessened following an appeal on May 28.
NASCAR announced that the National Motorsports Appeal Panel determined that while Buescher’s No. 17 still violated NASCAR’s front bumper cover rules, it did not violate the exhaust cover panel guidelines.
As such, instead of losing 60 points toward the driver and owner standings, Buescher and RFK lost 30 points.
The five-point playoff points penalties, plus the two-race crew chief suspension for Scott Graves and $75,000 fine, remain intact.
As a result of the lightened penalty, Buescher is now 16th in Cup points.
He has one top five and six top 10s this season.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.