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When Ryan Preece won the NASCAR Cup season finale at Daytona, his victory paid two dividends—one for the RFK Racing driver and the other for Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club. The victory qualified Preece for the Chase for the Cup Series championship. However, the Charter Preece’s team is using this year moves to Johnson’s team next year so Legacy Motor Club will reap the financial benefits. “I think we just put an extra million dollars in his (Johnson’s) pocket,” RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski said at Darlington Raceway. The Charter Preece’s No. 60 team is using this year was leased by RFK Racing from Rick Ware Racing. Teams owning a Charter are allowed to lease it for only one season. However, Johnson’s team has already purchased that Charter from RWR for 2027 per a lawsuit settlement. “It didn’t hurt my feelings that he (Preece) won Saturday in Daytona,” Johnson said. “This season it’s gonna finish higher than our two cars did.” Entering Darlington, Legacy Motor Club’s two cars—driven by Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek—were 21st and 29th, respectively, in the owner standings. The lowest Preece will finish in the owner standings is 16th. “I sent (RFK Racing President) Chip Bowers a text on that green-white-checker, ‘Are you gonna make it? You got enough fuel?’ He said, ‘I have no idea,’” Johnson recounted about the text exchange during the overtime Daytona finish. “I said a few prayers for that 60 car.” Since it doesn’t appear that a Charter is available for RFK Racing to purchase for next year, Keselowski says Preece will race in 2027 as an open car. That means he’s not guaranteed a starting position in the 36-point races. “We have two Charters for three teams next year, and we’re gonna most likely race a third car unchartered, absent some kind of situation I’m not aware of at the moment,” Keselowski said. “There’s not much we can do about it other than just go out and compete and make sure we’re being as financially prudent as possible.” Keselowski believes the only race in 2027 where there may be more cars than starting positions is the season opening Daytona 500. “We’re committed to getting it in, and if it doesn’t, we’ll figure that out when it comes,” Keselowski said. Keselowski said he doesn’t plan on sacrificing the Charters currently used by his No. 6 Ford and Chris Buscher’s No. 17 for Preece’s No. 60. “We are in the middle of September and February’s a long ways away. A lot could change,” Keselowski said. A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.