As the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs draw closer, the pressure inside RFK Racing and its drivers Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, and Chris Buescher has begun to show. And in Sunday's Iowa Corn 350, the team took precedence over personal ambition.Preece made a late-race decision that could come back to define both his and RFK Racing's postseason hopes. The No. 60 driver, running in the top five, allowed teammate and owner, Brad Keselowski, to pass. Preece later defended the call, pointing to the bigger picture."Once we settled in and we got about 20 laps into that run, I just started getting really loose, and Brad caught me. Even though I hate losing another spot in the points, I knew it was the right thing to do with how fast he was at the time and how many laps he led,” Preece told Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass (0:19 onwards)Brad Keselowski led significant laps, swept both Stage 1 and Stage 2, and was hunting for his first win of the season. But, the No. 6 driver finished third - his second-best result of the season. He was in striking distance for most of the final stint, but William Byron came out on top, stretching his fuel 144 laps to seal his fourth win of the year.Ryan Preece is himself locked in a tight points race for the final playoff spot. After Iowa, he sits just outside the cutline. But when asked whether he would've made the same call if Keselowski wasn't a teammate, he added:"No... He's my teammate and owner. He's part of the group that signs my check. I want to do the best thing I can for him and do what's right for the company... If I didn't get as loose as I did and I felt like I could challenge the 19 or the 24 for the win, I would have raced the sh*t out of him." (0:53 onwards)It captures the conundrum RFK Racing is now facing. With just three races left before the playoffs, Chris Buescher (+23), RFK's third driver, clings to the 16th and final playoff spot. Preece trails just behind at -23, while Keselowski is further back at -121, and needs a win to book his ticket.A Keselowski win in any of the next three races - Watkins Glen, Richmond, or Daytona - would leave only two points-based positions up for grabs. That would push both Buescher and Ryan Preece below the cutline, fighting against the likes of Alex Bowman (+63) and Tyler Reddick (+122) to find their way back in."We went from 26th to 12th in about two corners": Ryan Preece earns back-to-back top-5s with comeback drive at IowaRyan Preece (60) and Chris Buescher (17) during Daytona 500 practice. Source: GettyBefore Ryan Preece was weighing playoff implications and team orders, his Sunday began with yet another uphill climb. He started the Iowa Corn 350 deep in the pack and finished Stage 1 in 30th, then took a further hit with a pit road speeding penalty.With crew chief Derrick Finley calling the shots, the No. 60 team chose to stay out during a green flag pit cycle in the second stage, vaulting Preece up the order. When Shane van Gisbergen spun on Lap 171, the strategy suddenly paid off as the caution put Preece back on the lead lap and reset the playing field. He restarted 14th and wasted no time taking advantage of it.Charging through traffic with confidence on fresh tires, Preece finished Stage 2 in ninth, setting the tone for what would become a top-tier performance."We were struggling in dirty air, and I think [crew chief] Derrick [Finley] knew the easiest way to make up spots is on restarts. We had a pretty bad*** one there when I think we went from 26th to 12th in about two corners. I don’t really know what the actual number was, but we did our job there. He [Finley] gave me a great car to stick it where I needed to, and that was fun," Ryan Preece said (via NASCAR)Preece’s fifth-place finish followed up a fourth-place run the previous weekend, giving him back-to-back top-five results for the first time in his Cup Series career. He now heads into Watkins Glen with genuine momentum and perhaps the clearest upward trajectory among drivers still chasing the cutline.The next three races will define RFK's 2025 season. Ryan Preece is still chasing his first career Cup win. Brad Keselowski is fighting to make back-to-back playoffs as a team owner-driver. And Chris Buescher, though currently in, is barely holding on.