Tag: Chris Buescher

Buescher earns a ‘huge’ second place finish at Phoenix

Chris Buescher turned a quiet day for his RFK Racing team into a much-needed second-place finish Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Buescher’s No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse team made the call to stay out for track position when the final caution flew on …

Chris Buescher turned a quiet day for his RFK Racing team into a much-needed second-place finish Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

Buescher’s No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse team made the call to stay out for track position when the final caution flew on lap 215. It moved Buescher into the top five for the restart inside the final 92 laps. He did so while managing fuel over the final stint, which later allowed him to make a charge to second place.

“That’s huge,” Buescher said. “We’ve been able to lead races at any point in all three races leading up to this [one]. We didn’t quite get there today, but certainly a great finish for our BuildSubs.com Ford Mustang. I’m really proud of everybody. This is a good try.”

Buescher qualified 14th for the Shriners Children’s 500 and earned an average running position of 12.4 throughout the afternoon. After not scoring any points in the first stage (finishing 17th), he was 10th at the end of the second stage.

In the final stage, the No. 17 was running 17th when the final caution came out, and the team elected to stay on track. It initially moved him to fourth, and he chose the inside lane to be third on the restart. Once crew chief Scott Graves and the team were confident on fuel, Buescher was given the call inside the final 20 laps to go hard.

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Buescher took second place from Ty Gibbs with eight laps to go, but was 5.4s behind Christopher Bell at the finish.

“What thrills me is we were by no means perfect on balance, so we have a lot of room to make this thing better, which is awesome,” Buescher said. “It tells me we can go compete for that thing.”

Sunday was Buescher’s second top-five finish at Phoenix in the last two races. It was his first top-five finish of the season, and it came a week after an early exit from the Las Vegas race when the right front wheel came off his Ford, which resulted in the suspension of two crew members.

RFK Racing filed an appeal over the penalty and NASCAR deferred the suspensions. Buescher had his usual crew on pit road at Phoenix.

“We had a rough go last week and this is good to get everybody back together and prove that we’re in this together, that we’re going to win and lose these things as a team,” Buescher said. “That was almost a win today. We were close in a way, but I couldn’t even see [Bell], so that was going to be a tough one to battle for a win.

“Really impressed with everybody today; they did a heck of a job and worked hard to get back up where we needed to be there at the end. I was able to save just enough fuel to be able to go 100 percent there at the end and at least get one more spot and get to second. Really proud of that.”

NASCAR reveals penalty for Chris Buescher, RFK Racing after Las Vegas

NASCAR has revealed its penalty for Chris Buescher and RFK Racing after the No. 17 car lost a wheel at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

[autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag] and [autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag] didn’t have a great weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Buescher showed speed in qualifying and to start the event, but it went downhill quickly after the No. 17 car lost a wheel. Buescher slammed the wall, and the damage was catastrophic. The RFK Racing driver took it behind the wall and finished in 37th place.

On Tuesday afternoon, NASCAR released the penalty for Buescher losing a wheel on the race track in Las Vegas. Buescher’s crew members Jakob Prall (front tire changer) and Nicholas Patterson (jackman) were suspended for two races at Phoenix Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. RFK Racing has not decided if they will appeal yet.

This is rough news for RFK Racing as they need to adjust Buescher’s pit crew. It is especially critical as Buescher has proven his ability to win at Bristol, one of the races the two crew members will miss. For now, the No. 17 team looks ahead to Phoenix, sitting 23rd in the point standings. Buescher needs an excellent run to turn around a rough weekend at Las Vegas.

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RFK Racing expected to receive penalty from NASCAR after Las Vegas

RFK Racing is expected to receive a penalty from NASCAR after the weekend at Las Vegas. Find out the details behind the likely penalty!

[autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag] didn’t have the weekend it expected at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after a breakout 2023 NASCAR season. Brad Keselowski struggled to show speed, eventually finishing in 13th place after slowly improving. Meanwhile, [autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag] finished dead last in 37th place after a crash. Unfortunately for RFK Racing, Buescher’s crash will likely have more consequences.

Due to the wheel falling off the No. 17 car at Las Vegas, RFK Racing is expected to receive a penalty. NASCAR adjusted the rules to a wheel falling off the vehicle, which previously resulted in a four-race suspension for the crew chief. Instead, NASCAR will likely penalize two crew members of their choosing from the No. 17 team for the next two weeks.

The good thing for RFK Racing is that Buescher won’t lose money or points due to the penalty. The concern surrounds the loss of two pit crew members, which must be replaced at Phoenix Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway. RFK Racing and the No. 17 team hope for better luck at Phoenix as the organization looks to rebound after a rough weekend.

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Buescher crash red flags Cup Series at Las Vegas for wall repair

NASCAR had to red flag Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for wall repair after Chris Buescher crashed in Turn 1. Buescher hit the wall when the right front wheel came off his RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse on lap 27. …

NASCAR had to red flag Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for wall repair after Chris Buescher crashed in Turn 1.

Buescher hit the wall when the right front wheel came off his RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse on lap 27. The team did not get the wheel tight when Buescher came in for two tires under the lap 10 caution.

After the race restarted on lap 16, the single center-locking lug nut worked itself loose and came off as Buescher turned into the corner. Once the nut came off, the wheel followed and the car hit the wall.

Buescher initially thought he blew a tire, radioing as much to his team and that he “hit a ton.” He was checked and released from the infield care center.

“We lost the nut and lost half the wheel,” Buescher said. “I think the tire stayed up under the fender. I’m not exactly sure just yet, but it looks like the nut came off and something in the suspension actually cut the wheel in half. It’s definitely not what we wanted with our Fastenal Ford Mustang out here today.

“We had a strong day yesterday. I was really proud of that effort. We got a good bunch here and we’re going to be contenders. We’re going to win some races, but it’s not going to happen today.”

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NASCAR dispatched the welding truck to make repairs to the wall. It resulted in a 10m39s red flag.

Buescher was the first driver to retire from the Pennzoil 400. He will finish last.

“No, nothing that says that was coming,” Buescher said of not having a warning of the wheel being loose. “That’s kind of been the case with this car. I’ve probably had three of these now through the last couple of years and haven’t had a warning on any of them. It’s nothing like the old five lug stuff where you’d get a vibration or a shimmy or have some kind of clue. It just happens all of a sudden.

“It’s very unfortunate there, very tough. We have a great group of people on our team right now and we’re going to bounce back from this and get going in the right direction. That hurts just so early. We were able to move forward out of there. We took two tires and were doing OK and holding our own against four tires around us and just ended up out way earlier than we wanted. I guess we talked a little bit yesterday, and probably truthfully, for the first time in my career, I’m excited about Phoenix after what we had last time there. I won’t have to lie about that, but certainly a bad day today. It’s very disappointing. That sucks.”

RFK Racing reveals new Fifth Third Bank paint scheme for 2024 NASCAR season

RFK Racing reveals a new Fifth Third Bank paint scheme for Chris Buescher in 2024. Take a look at Buescher’s new paint scheme!

[autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag]’s week of paint scheme reveals continued on Tuesday morning as Fifth Third Bank will return to [autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag]’s No. 17 Cup car for the 2024 NASCAR season. Most notably, Fifth Third Bank was present on Buescher’s entry when RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski pushed the No. 17 car to victory lane at Daytona International Speedway in 2023.

The bright Fifth Third Bank colors will be on the No. 17 car for five races during the 2024 NASCAR season. The biggest race will be the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on August 24 as he looks to repeat. The other races will be Texas on April 14, Darlington on May 12, Michigan on August 18, and the Charlotte ROVAL on October 13.

Buescher is coming off a career year in the NASCAR Cup Series after winning three races at Richmond, Michigan, and Daytona near the end of the regular season. In 2024, Fifth Third Bank hopes to return to victory lane with the driver of the No. 17 car as he looks to make a push for more victories and a deeper playoff run.

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RFK Racing reveals new NASCAR paint scheme for Chris Buescher in 2024

RFK Racing reveals a new NASCAR Cup Series paint scheme for Chris Buescher in 2024. Take a look at Buescher’s new scheme!

[autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag] had a breakout NASCAR Cup Series season in 2023, with several victories at the end of the summer. Buescher won back-to-back races at Bristol and Michigan while following them up with a victory at Daytona with help from teammate Brad Keselowski. Now, the driver of the No. 17 car has a new look as Ford brings a new car to the Cup Series.

On Tuesday morning, RFK Racing released Buescher’s new paint scheme for the 2024 NASCAR season. It features a blue base with more black on the front and back compared to last year. Buescher’s paint scheme is the second announced by the organization, as David Ragan’s livery was already revealed for the 2024 Daytona 500. Brad Keselowski is the last driver remaining.

Overall, it is a very sharp paint scheme and an improvement from the 2023 NASCAR season. As stated above, Buescher has a new look for a new car and hopes it brings even more success than his breakout year. If so, Buescher could be fighting for his first career Cup Series championship after being eliminated in the Round of 8.

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Chris Buescher’s 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season in review

Chris Buescher had a breakout year with RFK Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. Here, you can check out Buescher’s 2023 season in review!

[autotag]Chris Buescher[/autotag] will look back at the 2023 NASCAR season and label this as the year he finally broke through. Buescher closed the campaign with three wins, nine top-5 finishes, and 17 top-10 finishes, which are all career highs for him. Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 17 car, he didn’t show enough pace to advance out of the Round of 8.

Buescher won at Richmond Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, and Daytona International Speedway. The first two wins were back-to-back as he firmly established himself as a championship threat. Buescher finished his consistent year with 255 laps led (12th best) and a 12.1 average finishing position (second best); however, a poor Round of 8 was his demise.

The RFK Racing driver was unable to earn enough points with an 11th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 21st-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and an eighth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway. In fact, Buescher only had five top-10 finishes in the 2023 playoffs. The speed that he found at Richmond and Michigan was truly never found again.

Still, Buescher has firmly established himself as a potential annual winner moving forward. RFK Racing has taken a step in the right direction and the No. 17 team benefited from their improvements. Buescher may not have closed out the season with the speed he was expecting but it will forever be labeled as the year he finally broke through as a multi-time winner.

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Buescher and team ‘want to go out fighting’ in NASCAR playoffs

Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway is a must-win for Chris Buescher’s No. 17 RFK Racing team if they want to extend their time in the NASCAR Cup Series postseason, and crew chief Scott Graves has embraced the scenario. “For us, it’s really easy: …

Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway is a must-win for Chris Buescher’s No. 17 RFK Racing team if they want to extend their time in the NASCAR Cup Series postseason, and crew chief Scott Graves has embraced the scenario.

“For us, it’s really easy: just go and win,” Graves said. “That’s our only mission on this one. This is a lot easier than worrying about one or two points here or there and everything that comes with that.

“Yeah, it’s pretty straightforward, and I think it’ll make calling the race a lot easier. We need to have (track) position at the end of the race, so anything we need to do to set up for that leading into it, we’re going to be doing.”

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Buescher is last on the Cup Series playoff grid and 43 points out of a transfer spot. A victory is the most realistic chance for him to advance into the championship race, and Buescher does have a short-track win under his belt from Richmond Raceway in late July.

It is the second postseason appearance for Buescher and the furthest he has advanced. It’s the furthest a Roush car has been in the postseason since 2017, when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made it into the second round. And Buescher outlasted teammate Brad Keselowski, who was eliminated in the last round.

Although it’s been a season of exceeding expectations, Graves said no one on the No. 17 team is happy with having come this far to only come this far. But having their backs against the wall was the result of being the worst finishing playoff driver in Las Vegas (11th) and a 21st-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“There’s definitely some disappointment after the last few weeks; probably our worst two races we’ve had in quite a while and a bad time for that,” Graves said. “That’s a little frustrating, but on the other side, we want to go out fighting. If we’re going out, we want to go out fighting. So, there’s a lot of confidence going into this weekend.

“He’s run well at Martinsville; we had a good car there last spring, just had issues with some pit road things that set us back. But it feels like we can run pretty well, so we’re looking forward to it. … We haven’t let it get to us too much in terms of what we’ve done.”

Buescher has 16 starts at Martinsville with one top-10 finish. His average finish is 19.4 without a lap led. In the spring race, Buescher finished 14th.

Slick Vegas pits cost Buescher valuable points as finale nears

Chris Buescher could have had a worse day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but in the midst of fighting to advance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, it needed to be better than an 11th-place finish. “We had good speed there at the beginning and [were] …

Chris Buescher could have had a worse day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but in the midst of fighting to advance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, it needed to be better than an 11th-place finish.

“We had good speed there at the beginning and [were] able to hang right around the top five, I guess. I don’t know exactly where,” Buescher said. “It really just fell apart on pit road for the most part and that’s my fault. It’s not our crew’s fault; they were good. I just couldn’t get in and out of our box and just continuously bled spots. I’ve got to figure out what I could do different, what we can do to try and get some of the rubber out of it, I guess.

“I just really struggled there and didn’t ever find a solution. Outside of that, we had good long-run speed and fire-off speed was decent. We kind of bounced back and forth on balance, but I felt like we had a really strong car. I’m proud of everybody.

“It’s not a bad day at all. I know we’re upset, but it’s not a bad day. It’s just that everybody we need to outrun, we didn’t.”

Las Vegas pit road can be a variable. Christopher Bell, for instance, struggled to launch out of his pit stall, which was the first one at pit exit after winning the pole. The grip in the pit stall is also what hindered Buescher, who felt he could not get stopped well, or launch out of it well.

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“I feel like it was stall and grip,” he said. “You definitely see certain boxes are way more rubbered up after the Xfinity (Series) race. I don’t have the answer, but it sure felt like the box. I think this place always has a little bit of slick pit stalls, but nothing like that in the past.”

Buescher was the lowest-finishing playoff driver — behind Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., and Denny Hamlin who all finished sixth through 10th.

The No. 17 RFK Racing team didn’t lead a lap Sunday and failed to score any stage points, finishing where their average running position was through the 400-mile event. Buescher is last on the playoff grid by 23 points after the opening race in the round.

“I thought we had a chance to win a race today and just lost some track position,” Buescher said. “As I said, I just struggled in the box and bled a handful of spots here and there, and by the time I looked up, we were deep in the teens and struggling in dirty air.

“It was really, really hard to pass, especially when everybody is on newer tires, and it was a little more equal. Once it got strung out, we were pretty decent, but just a bummer it didn’t play out the way we needed it to today.”

Buescher and RFK have ‘made it hard’ for rivals to ignore them

Chris Buescher doesn’t concern himself too much with what his NASCAR Cup Series playoff rivals are thinking, but if anything, he believes they should, by now, be taking his RFK Racing team seriously as a championship player. “Where I’m at, yeah, we …

Chris Buescher doesn’t concern himself too much with what his NASCAR Cup Series playoff rivals are thinking, but if anything, he believes they should, by now, be taking his RFK Racing team seriously as a championship player.

“Where I’m at, yeah, we probably made it hard for them not to and I’m proud of that,” Buescher said. “I’m proud of this organization for that and what we’ve been able to accomplish has been huge. I think we’re realistically contenders to make it to the next round. Are we a favorite to win it? That’s probably a little bit hard to say, and I feel like we’ve got some more work to do for us to feel that way, but I certainly feel like we’re capable of making this thing.

“Given the right circumstances and just a few little tweaks along the way, very capable of making a run in Phoenix. To me, I think we’re not at a point where we can be ignored anymore.”

Buescher expressed as much when the postseason started, not shying away from the high expectations his No. 17 RFK Racing team was placing on themselves given how well the regular season went earning three victories. Buescher confidently stated how they are “very competitive” and not underdogs like they were in his first postseason appearance a few years ago.

After advancing out of the first round of the postseason for the first time, Buescher quietly made it through the second round without issue. Sunday afternoon (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC), Buescher will begin the Round of 8 from fifth on the playoff grid. He is three points below a transfer spot.

“We’ve made it a long way this season,” Buescher continued. “We’ve outrun a lot of [people who] were considered favorites from the get-go on the year, and we’ve done that and outrun them very consistently through the second half of the season and even a little more so. I don’t know what everyone else is feeling, but I would say you’re going to have a hard time finding somebody that’s not aware that we’re in this round and that we have an opportunity to make it to the next one.”

Buescher is the last man standing from the RKF Racing camp after teammate Brad Keselowski was eliminated in the last round, and one of only two Ford drivers left in contention.

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Of the final eight drivers, there are two former champions left (Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson) in addition to the the No. 1 seed (William Byron). Toyota has half of the contenders and one of them, Christopher Bell, is the only driver who has a shot at making a return trip to the Championship 4 from last season.

All of that information would be news to Buescher. Although he’s made it into another round, he hasn’t exactly sized up the competition.

“It’s still more focused on what we can do and what we can control,” he said. “It’s more of our own game. This is our decisions to be made. This is our speed to find. Most of the situations that are ahead of us really just need to be what we can control and what we can do as a group to be fast, to be able to make that next round, win races, whatever that may be, and I haven’t really taken that time to step back and look at strong or weak spots for the other teams that are in this final round.

“Honestly, if you asked me right now, I don’t think I could honestly give you the other seven that are in it accurately. I could get most of them, but it’s not to that point where we’re sitting here thinking about the others. At least, I’m not at this point.”

That could change as soon as this weekend.

“Maybe,” Buescher said. “We’ll probably get out of Vegas and get a little bit more of a read on how that weekend went. We’ll look at the two tracks we have ahead of us, figure out where we feel we stand on those, and then maybe put it in perspective where the cars that we’re racing, see which ones of those had a good weekend, a bad weekend and what tracks will suit them well going forward.

“Again, it’s really up to us. It’s up to us to have good days, strong points days for stages, for setting up the win. It’s our battle to win, and it’s our battle to lose, and worrying about others really isn’t going to change that. You just need to be aware of it.”