The No. 17 RFK Racing Ford Mustang will have a special look for the trip to Michigan International Speedway. The Cup Series team will showcase a scheme highlighting the LeBron James Family Foundation.
RFK Racing announced the news on July 28. The team showcased the green and yellow scheme, which features the massive LeBron James Family Foundation on the hood, “est. Akron” on the rear, and “We Are Family” on the rear deck lid. Chris Buescher’s Ford Mustang also highlights the I Promise Program which supports more than 1,600 children and their families.
“For the students of LeBron James Family Foundation to be represented on the NASCAR track is an important symbolic first step in connecting them with the sport,” said Fenway Sports Group Chairman Tom Werner in a press release. “We hope this special relationship with RFK Racing will provide these talented students with an understanding of all the opportunities available to them as they contemplate their bright future.”
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Buescher Will Make His 12th Career Start at Michigan
The race at Michigan will mark the 12th time that Buescher has taken on the two-mile track in his Cup Series career. He made his debut twice in 2016 while driving for Front Row Motorsports, and he has gone on to complete every single race.
Buescher has an average finish of 20.5 at MIS with one top-10 finish. He started 20th in 2017 while driving for JTG Daugherty Racing, and he raced his way to a sixth-place finish while Kyle Larson captured the win for Chip Ganassi Racing.
As an organization, RFK Racing has had extensive success at Michigan International Speedway. The organization has 23 Cup Series wins, including back-to-back wins by Greg Biffle in 2004 and 2005. The Biff reached Victory Lane four times at the track while Carl Edwards added two wins of his own for Jack Roush.
Driver-owner Brad Keselowski has not won at Michigan International Speedway during his career. He has 24 starts at the track — all with Team Penske — with 13 top-10 finishes and seven top-fives. His best starts were a pair of runner-ups in 2018 and 2020, and he most recently finished ninth during the 2021 race.
LeBron James Has Interesting Ties to RFK Racing
James, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, has some interesting ties to the NASCAR Cup Series team. Back in 2021, he became a minority owner in the Fenway Sports Group, which is the parent company of RFK Racing.
James was part of Redbird Capital’s deal. He and the New York firm acquired an 11% stake in the Fenway Sports Group, per PitchBook. This gave the NBA player a roughly 1% stake in the company, as well as the Boston Red Sox.
Along with the ties to the MLB team, Fenway Sports Group is also the parent company of Premier League’s Liverpool and NESN. This regional sports network owns the broadcasting rights to the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins.
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RFK Racing Partners With LeBron James’ Foundation