RFK Racing adds third car for Ryan Preece, lands Kroger sponsorship

By Bob Pockrass
Published

RFK Racing will add Ryan Preece to its full-time driver roster as it expands to three cars in 2025.

Kroger will sponsor races for all three of the RFK drivers — Preece, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski — during the season. Both Preece and Buescher drove previously for JTG Daugherty Racing, which has had the Kroger deal in Cup for 15 years.

RFK Racing is expected to lease a charter from Rick Ware Racing for 2025, according to those familiar with the deal, for the No. 60 car for Preece.

Preece, the 2013 NASCAR Modified Series champion, has two wins in Xfinity and two in trucks but still seeks a Cup victory. He has competed full-time in Cup in five of the last six years with four top-5s in 187 starts and a best of 23rd in the points.

"Ryan Preece is who we identified from Day 1 when discussing this third entry, and his young talent from the grassroots level all the way up to the Cup Series is something that excites us moving forward," RFK President Steve Newmark said in a news release.

Kroger, which works with vendors to fund the sponsorship in exchange for branding on the car as well as store placement and displays, moved to an organization that can provide multiple drivers — which not only improves the odds of winning but also gives them more flexibility when it comes to driver appearances for companies.

"Having three drivers as members of the Kroger Racing Family will be an added benefit for all our brand sponsors involved in the program," said Erin Sanchez, Kroger vice president for grocery. "The opportunity to utilize multiple drivers in their marketing strategies both in our stores and within their merchandising initiatives is something we're all looking forward to with the start of the 2025 season."

Tad and Jodi Geschickter, who have operated JTG Daugherty Racing but no longer are listed as company officials in the company's state filings, will continue to oversee the Kroger marketing program.

JTG Daugherty Racing is expected to continue under a rebrand and owner Gordon Smith, a long-time investor in the team who had assumed operational control of the organization this season. It signed Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to a contract extension earlier this year.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.