NASCAR drivers are known for making some wild bets, but Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece might have come up with one of the funniest punishments imaginable.
The two RFK Racing teammates have a wager riding on the final NASCAR Cup Series driver standings. Whoever finishes lower in the points will have to drive 500 laps around a roundabout while the winner gets to sit in the middle and watch the entire thing unfold.
Yes, you read that right. Five hundred laps. Around a roundabout.
And somehow, that might not even be the funniest part of this story.
During media availability at Martinsville Speedway, Preece explained the bet and made it clear that he’d much rather be the one sitting comfortably in the middle, filming his teammate going in circles.
“I’d rather be the guy sitting in the center in a chair videotaping him doing it,” Preece joked.
With the final races of the season approaching, this friendly competition has turned into one more thing for the teammates to fight over. They’re already battling on the track, but now there’s an entirely different kind of punishment waiting for whoever loses the points battle.
And Buescher might already have a location picked out.
Buescher Already Has a Plan for the Loser
Buescher revealed that the potential punishment has become serious enough that he’s already thinking about how to handle the aftermath. He recalled taking part in a jail-and-bail charity event the previous week, where he was calling people in his contacts to help raise money.
That’s when it dawned on him that Preece might come up with something that could require actual bail money.
Buescher joked that he might need to save some of those contacts for the real thing because he couldn’t ask them for money twice in a matter of weeks without looking like “the Boy Who Cried Wolf.” His comments suggest he’s well aware that Preece could take the punishment to another level.
And if you’ve followed these two, you know that wouldn’t be surprising.
Earlier this year, Preece pulled a hilarious prank on Buescher by arranging billboards near Atlanta Motor Speedway. One featured Buescher wearing a wig and shawl with the message, “Come see me race this weekend!” Another poked fun at Buescher’s Texas hometown by directing people to Prosper, Texas.
Buescher made it clear at the time that payback was coming. Now, with the roundabout bet hanging over them, he might have the perfect opportunity to get even.
The Championship Battle Has a Whole New Meaning
The two RFK Racing teammates are still focused on improving their results, but their side bet gives fans another reason to watch how they finish the season. Preece even joked that he wants to do everything possible to end up in the chair filming Buescher.
The final two races at Martinsville and Homestead will determine who finishes higher in the standings and who potentially has a very long day driving in circles.
Imagine being the loser. Five hundred laps around a roundabout, with your teammate sitting in the middle recording every second of it. That’s a lot of footage for social media — and probably a lot of teasing back at the shop.
Neither driver appears eager to take the punishment, which makes the bet even funnier. They can race for position on Sunday, but they’ll also be keeping an eye on the standings with a completely different prize in mind.