RFK Racing Names Ryan Preece as Brad Keselowski's 2027 Successor

RFK Racing has predictably confirmed Ryan Preece as the driver of the No. 6 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The move fills the seat vacated by team co-owner Brad Keselowski, who announced his departure from the organization after the 2026 season.

Preece will switch from the No. 60 Ford, which he has driven since 2025, to the team's iconic No. 6 entry.

Derrick Finley will remain as Preece's crew chief, the team announced on Wednesday, November 4.

"To be trusted with the 6 means more to me than I can put into words," Preece said in a statement.

"When you think about what this number means to RFK Racing, you think about Jack Roush, Mark Martin and everything they built together."

"To know this team believes I'm the right person to carry that number into the future is incredibly humbling."

Preece becomes the sixth full-time driver to pilot the No. 6 for RFK Racing since the team began competing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1988.

The number carries deep history within the organization.

Hall of Famer Mark Martin drove the No. 6 from 1988 through 2006, earning 35 Cup Series victories and finishing runner-up for the championship four times.

Martin finished second to Dale Earnhardt in 1990 and 1994, to Jeff Gordon in 1998, and to Tony Stewart in 2002.

After Martin, the No. 6 was driven full-time by David Ragan, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Newman, and most recently Brad Keselowski.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Ross Chastain all made spot starts in the car.

Aside from Martin, only Ragan and Keselowski have taken the No. 6 to victory lane.

"I like Ryan Preece because he's a racer, plain and simple," Martin said in a statement.

"He came up the hard way, and he's had to fight for everything he's gotten."

Preece won the first Cup Series race of his career this season at Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in late August.

That victory came at the same track where the 2027 season will begin with the 69th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 21.

Fox will provide live coverage of the season opener.

The decision to move Preece to the No. 6 was driven partly by charter logistics.

The No. 6 is one of RFK Racing's chartered entries in the Cup Series, along with the No. 17 driven by Chris Buescher.

Charters guarantee starting spots in every Cup Series race regardless of qualifying, creating a reliable and stable stream of revenue.

Charters are estimated to be worth about $100 million each.

The No. 60 Ford had been racing with a leased charter from Rick Ware Racing for the second consecutive season.

That charter has been sold to Legacy Motor Club for 2027.

With RFK Racing set to have just two charters next year, it made sense to move Preece from the No. 60 to the No. 6.

The No. 60 Ford is set to continue as a full-time entry in 2027, but without a charter.

That effectively makes it the series' 37th full-time entry — a car that must qualify for every race on speed.

It is still the team's plan to sign a third driver to drive that car.

John Hunter Nemechek, who had been linked to the team as a possible third driver, is no longer in contention for that seat.

After losing his Cup ride at Legacy Motor Club to Josh Berry, Nemechek has signed with Haas Factory Team.

He will drive one of their three full-time entries for the 2027 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season.

Both of Haas Factory Team's current drivers, Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer, have already signed deals elsewhere.

Riley Herbst is set to land the team's new third entry, according to reports.

As for Keselowski, he has admitted that he has nothing lined up for 2027.

He has no plans to retire and remains interested in team ownership.