The RFK Racing fallout from Texas still hasn’t cooled down, even a week later. Ryan Preece was hit with a $50,000 fine and a 25-point penalty for intentionally wrecking Ty Gibbs. At the same time, his teammate Kyle Busch controversially escaped punishment despite appearing to make a similar move on John Hunter Nemechek. RFK Racing chose to stay mum on Busch’s verdict, but they have now spoken out over what they believe was an injustice toward Preece.

Preece hooked Gibbs entering Turn 3 at Texas Motor Speedway on Lap 101 last Sunday, sending the No. 54 driver spinning into the outside wall and ending his race in a DNF. The incident came shortly after Gibbs had forced Preece up the track during a heated battle for position, with the pair making repeated contact before the wreck. SMT data, along with Preece’s radio message, “When I get to him, I’m done with him,” led NASCAR to rule the move intentional and penalize the RFK Racing driver.

This was surprising because of NASCAR’s stance on Busch’s lap 266 incident with Nemechek, where he right-rear hooked the No. 42 driver after some aggressive moves made by the latter. Official Mike Forde stated that Preece’s radio communication helped prove intent, while Busch avoided punishment because there was no audio evidence suggesting he wanted to crash with Nemechek.

RFK Racing clearly disagreed with the decision involving Preece. They took to their official social media handles on Thursday to announce that they had appealed the penalties issued by NASCAR.

“We appreciate the opportunity to share our findings with the National Motorsports Appeals Panel at the appropriate time. Additionally, our organization respectfully embraces the forum provided by NASCAR to present our case,” the statement read.

RFK Racing could argue that officials relied too heavily on radio evidence to determine Preece’s guilt. In the heat of the moment, he may have said things more harshly than he actually intended, and the incident may have appeared more intentional than it truly was because it ended Gibbs’ race. However, the same argument could backfire, since the lack of similar radio evidence was also used to support NASCAR’s decision not to penalize Busch.

Busch desperate to defend his actions at the Texas Speedway

Busch firmly believed he deserved no penalty and that the incident was Nemechek’s fault. He felt Nemechek crowded him exiting Turn 2, forcing the No. 8 into the outside wall and causing damage to his car. Even Forde, while explaining NASCAR’s decision not to penalize Busch, suggested the damage may have contributed to the incident with Nemechek.

“The SMT data didn’t show anything that suggested that he did do it, and also the fact that his steering was so jacked, it showed that there was at least a plausible chance that his car had some damage that led to what happened,” Forde said.

Post-race, Busch was adamant about defending himself and took to X to share data that he believed proved he didn’t “start” the incident. In a post, he wrote, “The 42 apparently doesn’t know where the right side of his car is and where he is in relation to the outside wall. There was 2 ft outside him, and I was judging my left-side tires against the hash marks. Always know who you’re racing beside.”

Fans heavily criticized Busch online for the move, but he continued defending himself by sharing memes and firing back at those calling for accountability. Replying to one user who argued he should have known exactly where Nemechek was, Busch wrote, “How do u know where they are when they’re in your blind spot, smart guy? In every situation, the guy behind is on my RR. How can I see that? I thought it was always the guy behind at fault for running into you?”

In the NASCAR community, however, many continued to believe Busch was at fault. Nemechek, whose race was ruined by the incident, took to X to call Busch an “ass,” while Denny Hamlin was furious about what unfolded, regardless of intent.

“As far as the incident, I didn’t see anything, no matter who’s at fault for what, what happened in Turn 3 was certainly unacceptable,” Hamlin said on his podcast. “It should be viewed that way as unacceptable… He lost his sh– going into Turn 3, clearly.”

Hamlin also referred to his own experience from the 2023 Cup Series race while criticizing the officials. “When I said that I washed [Ross] Chastain up into the wall, I got a point fine. But in the end, it was because I said it.”

Hamlin had intentionally affected Chastain’s race that day, but NASCAR only handed him a $50,000 fine and a 25-point deduction after he later admitted it publicly.

He called for the sport to rely more on data and on-track actions rather than comments made over the radio or in press conferences before handing out penalties. Had that been the case, Preece may have avoided his punishment, while Busch could have ended up facing one instead.