Buescher, who had a breakout season final yr with three wins, had hoped to have already got a win in hand this season. Nevertheless, regardless of coming excruciatingly shut, he stays with no victory with 4 races left within the common season.
Coming into Sunday evening’s race at Richmond (Va.) Richmond, Buescher remains to be in rivalry for a playoff berth based mostly on factors, however his scenario is tenuous.
He holds the fifteenth spot within the 16-driver playoff grid by 10 factors over Ross Chastain with Bubba Wallace the primary driver outdoors the cutoff, 17 factors behind Buescher.
A win within the subsequent 4 races locks Buescher within the playoff discipline and he would a lot desire that route to affix his RFK Racing and co-owner Brad Keselowski within the title chase.
Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang
Photograph by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
“I’m not nervous about it,” Buescher mentioned Wednesday. “I’m fairly adamant about it – I don’t need to change the best way we method our races. I’ve simply seen it too many occasions in our sport the place you try to get put again in your heels and alter up what you’re doing, and it might probably find yourself costing you.
“We’ve acquired to race our races, put our greatest foot ahead and that needs to be sufficient to get us the place we have to go. “We’ve acquired to bear in mind (of the factors), but it surely’s not one thing that we’re up in arms about or apprehensive about.”
An ideal alternative to return to VL
The schedule affords Buescher and his No. 17 Ford workforce a uncommon alternative.
Of the following 4 tracks – Richmond, Michigan, Daytona and Darlington – Buescher gained on three of them final season on his technique to a career-best seventh place end within the sequence standings.
“That’s a fairly superior statistic as we have a look at it, however final yr’s outcomes don’t equal this yr’s,” he mentioned. “We’ve been superb at a number of completely different types of race tracks. We’ve been very near locking ourselves in.
“We’re lots able to progressing and profitable a race right here within the subsequent 4 like we’ve been. We’ve simply acquired to wash up and have a pair issues go our manner and simply do an excellent job and management what we are able to from our facet.”
It was one yr in the past at Richmond that Buescher kicked off his outstanding run of three wins over 5 weeks that gave him a rush of momentum heading into the 2023 playoffs.
To repeat that victory of a yr in the past was going to be troublesome sufficient however circumstances have additionally modified on this fall’s Richmond race.
To assist enhance the standard of racing, NASCAR is permitting Goodyear to supply groups use of a softer, “choice” tire (softer with extra grip) within the 400-lap occasion.
Like they have been capable of do on this yr’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway, groups can have three units of the “choice” tires at their disposal, with one set for observe and two for the race.
“We’ve lots to be taught on Saturday,” Buescher mentioned of the prolonged observe session provided groups this weekend. “North Wilkesboro was the final time we tried this. North Wilkesboro was new asphalt and went into the night.
“That is going to be a night race, so perhaps there may be going to be some discrepancy on the choice (tire). I promise we’ll be taking a number of notes to determine what we predict goes to occur within the race.”
Regardless, Buescher – who has a pair of runner-up finishes this yr together with a photo-finish loss to Kyle Larson at Kansas – believes his workforce can produce a number of wins earlier than the top of the common season.
“We’ve been superb at a number of these locations. We simply haven’t been capable of seal the deal, and it has gotten irritating,” he mentioned. “The arduous half is preserving everyone’s head up as a result of it’s a tough sport and we all know that.
“I suppose we’re simply going to need to do the identical factor we did final yr and are available to life now and make it a present.”
