Ford Needs RFK Truck Series Team

Does the Ford Performance team have a plan for its future? This should be the question every Ford fan in NASCAR should be asking. How can a storied manufacturer with seven Cup Series teams only have one developmental team per lower series currently?

Ford’s driver development problem worsened last week with the announcement of David Gilliland Racing (DGR) switching over to Toyota starting in 2023. The newly minted TRICON Garage is now part of the Toyota Development Program (TRD). Along with the switch, Tanner and Taylor Gray are following the former DGR to Toyota. For whatever issues TRD is having, Ford’s is currently worse. Right now, Ford only has three developmental drivers in their pipeline. Zane Smith, Hailie Deegan, and Riley Herbst make up Ford’s future at this moment. If you want to be generous, throw in Ryan Preece as a developmental driver since Stewart-Haas Racing has no idea what to do with him.

What Ford needs is a boost to their lower series. A manufacturer with seven Cup Series teams cannot rely on two teams to supply them with future drivers, especially considering the impending retirements of Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola. While Ford can continue to lure developmental drivers away from Chevy and Toyota, that is not a sustainable pathway to a successful future. Ford Performance needs to seriously reconsider its current strategy and rebuild their foundation again. There needs to be a reinvestment into one of the lower series. That series should be the Truck Series. That reinvestment needs to be in the form of using RFK Racing to revive Brad Keselowski Racing (BKR).

Brad Keselowski’s venture into ownership with Roush Fenway Racing was his return to owning a NASCAR team. From 2007 to 2017, Keselowski ran BKR in the Truck Series. When it was announced that Keselowski was becoming a part owner of the now RFK Racing, many wondered how long it would take RFK to dip back to the lower series. Both Keselowski and Roush have successful history in the lower series. With the lack of developmental rides in the lower series, it would be an ideal time for RFK to open shop in the Truck Series again.

Glory Days of Roush

Roush Racing used to be a pillar of the lower series of NASCAR. Their developmental program in the late 90s/early 2000s is a large reason for their success. While Roush was demonstrating strength in the Xfinity Series, the development successes were being seen in the Truck Series. Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, and Carl Edwards all flashed their talents in the Truck Series. For Busch and Edwards, their efforts in the Truck Series allowed them to skip the middle series and head straight to Cup. Meanwhile, Biffle netted Roush’s lone Truck Series championship in 2000.

Over the course of their run in the Truck Series, Roush won 50 times. Outside of the notable greats of Busch, Biffle, and Edwards, Roush saw prospects like Travis Kvapil, Eric Darnell, and Colin Braun drive and win races for the team. In hindsight, those drivers turned out to be duds, however those prospects looked promising behind the wheel of a Roush truck. The future seemed bright for that trio, especially Kvapil. While their careers did not pan out, it speaks volumes that Roush’s equipment made them look that good.

Roush’s Xfinity Series program had a great drop-off after Chris Buescher’s championship in 2015. Meanwhile, Roush’s Truck Series program never experienced those same lows. Their program remained consistent throughout its lifetime. A consistent team is what Ford needs in the Truck Series. After losing ThorSport and now TRICON Garage to TRD, a truck team that can supply consistent performance like Roush used to do would be beneficial.

Brad Keselowski’s Eye for Talent

Much like Kyle Busch did for Toyota later, Keselowski’s truck team became the main developmental team for Ford. Considering that BKR was essentially a feeder program for Team Penske, it was important for Brad Keselowski to find promising drivers for his truck team.  The early days of BKR saw Parker Kligerman, Ross Chastain, and Ryan Blaney drive a BKR truck. Kligerman and Blaney both had turns driving fulltime for the team. While Kligerman did not pan out, Blaney became the first successful alum of BKR.

In the closing years of BKR is when the great influx of talent came through the doors. From 2015 to 2017, BKR had four full time drivers who would go on to be Cup Series drivers. Not only that, but three of the four have won in the Cup Series. Between the four drivers, there have been four Xfinity Series Championships. Those four drivers were Tyler Reddick, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, and Daniel Hemric. When the least successful alum out of those four is the 2021 Xfinity Series Champion, that speaks volumes to the scouting department. BKR brought in high level talent for their truck program.

That eye for talent is needed for Ford moving forward. Stealing Zane Smith away from Chevy was a great move. However, the other “steals” from TRD have not been as successful. It is too early to tell whether Harrison Burton or Todd Gilliland will be good Cup Series drivers. Meanwhile, Riley Herbst has vastly underperformed in a SHR Xfinity program that used to dominate the lower series. Hailie Deegan is a marketing dream, but her Truck Series career has been disappointing. Maybe her struggles is due to the vehicle and she will excel in Xfinity. However, the future for Ford is a giant question mark.

After those drivers, there is nobody in the wings to replace any of them if they fail. A huge factor into SHR not dumping Cole Custer out of a ride is the fact that there is not enough talent to relace him and two retiring drivers soon. Ryan Preece is the emergency option since there is no one else.

Brad Keselowski’s Truck Series team was able to bring in great talents. Even the “failed” drivers like Kligerman and Chastain turned out to be solid talents. While there were duds, BKR managed to have five future Cup winners drive for them. That is impressive no matter how you look at it. There is no reason to believe that RFK could not replicate the success of BKR.

Pony Up Ford

For some, 2022 has been disappointing for RFK Racing. Especially for Brad Keselowski, the expectations were higher than what the results have been. To be fair, RFK Racing is better than it was last year. Buescher’s average finish has slightly dipped this season but he scored his first win with RFK at Bristol and placed in the Top-10 more often. Keselowski’s season is drastically down compared to his runs with Team Penske, but he has been better than Ryan Newman was last year. The growing pains are there and should still be expected next year. While some may say RFK should solely focus on their Cup Series program, Ford should step in and help RFK build a Truck Series program.

With Roush’s history and Keselowski’s eye for talent, Ford would be foolish to not help the team start a Truck Series program. The talent pipeline is drying up for the Fords. While Team Penske is set for the foreseeable future, the other Ford teams will need some new talent shortly. In addition to Harvick and Almirola, Keselowski is approaching 40, Michael McDowell is in his late 30s, and, barring an unforeseen improvement, Cole Custer should not remain in his seat much longer. Even if the three developmental drivers pan out, there are more future available seats than drivers to fill them.

Ford cannot be content with only Team Penske having a solid future. The foundation of Ford’s NASCAR program is paper thin and flawed. A huge boost to the developmental program would be to have RFK run trucks. If the opportunity is not there for RFK to do it solely, then allow a merger between Front Row and RFK for the truck series. At the very least, add one more truck to the Front Row team. It has to be done for Ford if they do not want to fall behind Toyota and Chevy.