Major RFK Racing sponsor could leave Brad Keselowski and co. for a rival NASCAR team next season - Reports

While big things are ahead for RFK Racing with the new sponsorship deal from Kroger, the team could lose a major sponsor. Per Sports Business Journal, King's Hawaiian is expected to leave RFK Racing and join another NASCAR team.

King's Hawaiian started sponsoring RFK Racing in 2022 when Brad Keselowski became a co-owner and driver. The sponsorship deal was extended for another two years after the bakery company had a satisfactory return on investment.

However, King's Hawaiian is one of Kroger's competitors, which would create a conflict on the business side. Thus, the company is set to leave RFK Racing, though it plans to stay in the stock car racing league with a different team.

The company's paint scheme is usually seen on Keselowski's No. 6 Ford Mustang. The livery includes an orange base color complemented by either orange or blue, with the latter used when promoting its pretzel bite products.

Brad Keselowski driving the No. 6 King's Hawaiian Ford at Watkins Glen - Source: Imagn

While King's Hawaiian's next destination is still unclear, teams like Joe Gibbs Racing could use a new sponsor considering Denny Hamlin and FedEx parted ways after 19 years.

For now, Kroger heads to RFK Racing after over a decade of sponsorship with JTG Daugherty Racing. The American retail company will run on the team's cars including the new addition with Ryan Preece as the driver.

Preece will pilot the No. 60 Ford Mustang following a two-year stint with the now-discontinued Stewart-Haas Racing team. He will compete alongside Brad Keselowski (6) and Chris Buescher (17).

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RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski touts Kroger for having a "proper NASCAR program"

Brad Keselowski believes the new sponsorship deal with Kroger can help the team grow in the coming years. Keselowski said that the retail company has a "proper NASCAR program" including an "elite" marketing strategy.

Per NASCAR insider Adam Stern on X (formerly Twitter), the No. 6 Ford pilot said:

“That’s so important to us, to be able to branch out and we want to win but we also want to be bigger than our results, too, whether they’re good or bad. You look at the partners and how Kroger has approached the sport, it’s just a proper NASCAR Program with really elite marketing that benefits us in so many different ways.

The 2012 NASCAR champ understands that the team still has to represent their new sponsor properly on and off the track.

“But we know we’ve got to go out there and win – we’re committed to doing that, but we also have to do a great job of delivering off the track with how we take care of Kroger," Keselowski stated.

The trio will officially debut in the Daytona 500 happening on February 16 next year. Keselowski will enter the new season following a Round of 16 exit.

The race, however, won't be the first time Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece will run with sponsorship from Kroger. The drivers ran Kroger-sponsored cars when they were teammates at JTG Daugherty Racing in 2019.