Roush Fenway Racing has just teased a significant change for the future. The NASCAR Cup Series organization said that it would legally change its name, hinting at a future involving Brad Keselowski.
RFR provided the tease while responding to partner Oscar Mayer. The food company tweeted that it is legally changing the name to “Yer.” RFR’s account responded with “legally changing our name too.” As expected, this simple tweet sparked responses from people on social media, who made predictions about the new official name and the addition of Keselowski.
Rumors have circulated about RFR and potential name changes since May 18 when Jim Utter of Motorsport.com reported that the two-car team had offered Keselowski a driver-owner role for 2022 and beyond. Utter added at the time that the new team would be called RFK (Roush-Fenway-Keselowski) Racing, citing multiple sources with knowledge of the deal.
RFR has yet to confirm or deny that there will be a name change for the 2022 season, especially one involving Keselowski. However, the hint on Twitter indicates that there will be changes in the near future.
RFR Officially Introduced Keselowski on July 20
Following Utter’s initial report about Keselowski and RFR, the Cup Series team took time to officially introduce the newest member of the group. Owner Jack Roush, team president Steve Newmark, Fenway Sports Group’s Ed Weiss, and Keselowski met with members of the media at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and provided more details about the future.
The group explained during the press conference that Keselowski will take over the No. 6 Ford Mustang, replacing Ryan Newman, and he will also serve as the head of the team’s competition committee. Team executives also faced questions about potential name changes but shied away from providing any definitive answers.
“There is a whole host of things that we’re gonna be changing — structure, partners, and all this — and what we’ve kind of said is that we’re gonna kind of get through this announcement since it’s been brewing for quite some time, and then we’ll circle back with everybody on a lot of the details about what things will look like in 2022 in the coming months,” Newmark said during the media question and answer segment on July 20, per Jayski.
An Announcement Likely Won’t Take Place for Multiple Weeks
GettyBrad Keselowski will not join RFR until the end of the 2021 season.
While the RFR Twitter account already teased the name change, there is a scenario where it will not take place for multiple weeks. The reason is that Keselowski will not be able to officially join the team until the end of the 2021 season.
The 2012 Cup Series champion remains alive in the playoffs as a member of Team Penske. He has two races remaining — Kansas and Martinsville — in which he can lock up a spot in the championship four and contend for another title. Once the race at Phoenix Raceway ends on November 7, he will shift his focus to RFR and helping contend for wins in the future.
“I think right now, first off, I will not start this role until the season is over in 2021,” Keselowski added during his introductory press conference on July 20. “I have commitments and contracts with Team Penske that I fully intend to honor at the highest level possible, so there will certainly be a time period here where we’re the Darrell Waltrip term ‘frienemies’, so we’re competing against each other with an expectation that we each have individually to beat each other, and then certainly we’ll come back together, but when that time is right.
“Certainly, it’s an interesting dynamic. I don’t think in any other sport you compete against a team you’re about to join, at least not that I know of, so it is a unique relationship, but we all have contracts and obligations we need to fulfill at this current time.”
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Roush Fenway Racing Teases Upcoming Changes