Chris Buescher’s outlook for the Round of 12 during 2023 NASCAR season

Evaluating Chris Buescher’s chances of advancing out of the Round of 12 in his first NASCAR playoffs with RFK Racing.

[autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag] was in an uncomfortable position heading into the Round of 16 finale due to a problem in the previous race; however, Buescher escaped and now finds himself in the Round of 12 for the first time. The RFK Racing driver advanced with finishes of third place at Darlington Raceway, 27th place at Kansas Speedway, and fourth place at Bristol Motor Speedway.

If not for Buescher’s issue at Kansas, it would have been smooth sailing for the No. 17 team due to its speed. So, how does the Round of 12 stack up for Buescher as he tries to claim his first NASCAR Cup Series title? Let’s take a look at what tracks are coming up over the next three races.

The driver of the No. 17 car will take a 10-point advantage to the playoff cut-line and head to Texas Motor Speedway, which hasn’t been a great track for him historically. Buescher has a best finish of 15th place in 2018 and zero top-20 finishes with RFK Racing. However, the equipment that Buescher is driving has drastically improved and he should improve those statistics.

Moving on to Talladega, there are no reasons to look at the statistics, just like his teammate and owner Brad Keselowski. Buescher is one of NASCAR’s best superspeedway drivers and won at Daytona International Speedway in the regular season finale. Talladega should be the RFK Racing driver’s best opportunity to earn a victory in the Round of 12.

Finally, the Charlotte ROVAL should be a strong race for Buescher as he possesses two straight top-6 finishes at the venue. Also, he has four top-10 finishes in the five road course events in 2023 so it should be similar in a few weeks. Buescher could have a strong end to the Round of 12 and it might be needed due to the unpredictability.

Buescher’s biggest challenge will be Texas as he hasn’t seen much success in the past. It makes Talladega even more important because it is hard to bank on a great run in Fort Worth, despite Keselowski’s pole last season. The driver of the No. 17 car definitely has a shot at making the Round of 8 but Texas will be a massive indicator of his chances.

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