Doug Randolph to serve as Chris Buescher replacement crew chief at North Wilkesboro All-Star Race

Following a NASCAR penalty handed down to Chris Buescher after the race at Kansas, RFK Racing is making a forced crew change. Buescher will have a new crew chief for the all-star race.

Doug Randolph, a veteran crew chief across multiple series who joined RFK Racing this offseason, will serve as Buescher’s crew chief at North Wilkesboro. That news comes via a report from FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass.

Chris Buescher has had some strong results at various points this year, including a top-five finish at Phoenix. In total he now has six top-10 finishes this season.

But a win has proved elusive. And given the latest penalty from NASCAR, Buescher is once again facing an uphill battle.

Chris Buescher was hit with a 60-point penalty for a bumper issue that was discovered in post-race R&D. In addition, his team was fined $75,000 and crew chief Scott Graves was suspended for two races.

“RFK Racing acknowledges the penalties assessed by NASCAR to the No. 17 Ford Mustang following this past weekend’s race in Kansas,” the RFK Racing statement read. “We remain committed to full compliance with NASCAR’s rules. At this time, we are carefully reviewing the details of the situation to determine if we will file an appeal within the timeframe allotted.”

Following Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, Chris Buescher was sent to the R&D center for further inspection. He was hit with a bumper penalty, relating to how the front fascia was strengthened for the incident.

Buescher initially finished eighth at Kansas. That left him 14th in the NASCAR playoff standings, sitting at +33 points. He hasn’t placed first to this point. He was also 12th in NASCAR Cup Points with 284, which is 185 points off the pace. All of that was prior to his penalty, though. He’ll now drop to 224 points and 245 points off the pace.

And he’ll have a new crew chief for North Wilkesboro. Perhaps it can spark something for him.