JOLIET, Ill. — RFK Racing heads to Chicagoland Speedway this weekend with all three teams firmly in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff hunt and one driver carrying an especially strong track record into NASCAR’s long-awaited return to the 1.5-mile oval.

The eero 400 marks the first Cup Series race at Chicagoland since 2019, bringing NASCAR back to a track that hosted 19 premier-series events between 2001 and 2019.

Leading the charge for RFK Racing is co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski, one of only three drivers in this weekend’s field with multiple Cup Series victories at Chicagoland. Driving the No. 6 Castrol/TravelCenters of America Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Keselowski enters the weekend with two wins and nine top-10 finishes in 11 starts at the speedway.

Few active drivers have enjoyed as much success at Chicagoland as Keselowski, whose average finish of 8.8 ranks among the best in the field. With the regular season winding down, the timing couldn’t be better for the 2012 Cup champion, who sits 18th in the standings and 25 points below the playoff cut line.

“Chicagoland has always been a good track for me,” Keselowski said in the past. “It’s a place where track position matters, but you can still move around and race.”

Meanwhile, Chris Buescher enters the weekend as RFK Racing’s lone representative still alive in NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament. The driver of the No. 17 Body Guard Ford Mustang Dark Horse advances to the tournament’s Sweet 16 and will face Christopher Bell in the second round.

While Buescher’s Cup Series history at Chicagoland isn’t extensive, this weekend marks his first appearance at the track as an RFK Racing driver. His four previous Cup starts produced an average finish of 23.8, but his results in NASCAR’s developmental ranks were considerably stronger. In four O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Chicagoland, Buescher never finished worse than 12th and posted an average finish of eighth.

The Texas native enters the weekend seventh in points and appears well-positioned for a playoff berth with a 129-point cushion over the cut line.

Ryan Preece also arrives in Illinois with momentum after scoring an eighth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway. The driver of the No. 60 Mariano’s/Athletic Brewing Ford Mustang Dark Horse currently occupies the 15th and final playoff-transfer position, holding a slim 13-point advantage.

Although Preece has only one previous Chicagoland start, recent performance on intermediate tracks offers encouragement. Over the last 10 races on 1.5-mile speedways, Preece ranks ninth among active drivers with a 14.4 average finish and four top-10 results.

RFK Racing has yet to score a Cup Series victory at Chicagoland despite several close calls. The organization has recorded 73 starts at the track with 17 top-10 finishes and six top fives. Matt Kenseth finished runner-up twice, while Carl Edwards added another second-place finish in 2010.

After a solid if unspectacular outing at Sonoma, where Preece finished eighth, Keselowski rallied from 35th to 15th and Buescher recovered for 19th, RFK Racing hopes its return to one of NASCAR’s most popular intermediate tracks can provide another boost in the playoff race.

Practice is scheduled for Friday night, qualifying takes place Saturday afternoon, and Sunday’s eero 400 is slated to begin shortly after 6 p.m. ET.