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Chris Buescher won the second race of the playoffs at Watkins Glen, marking his first win of the season and the first for RFK Racing on a road course in a decade. He also set a record by winning from the lowest starting position ever recorded at the track.
Since joining RFK Racing in 2020, Buescher has accumulated six Cup Series victories. His tenure started in 2015. Despite a strong finish to the previous season, where he claimed three wins in the final five races of the regular season, Buescher faced challenges this year that prevented him from qualifying for the playoffs. He came close on several occasions.
Buescher’s victory at Watkins Glen, starting from the 24th position, marked a historical achievement as he maneuvered through the field to finish Stage 1 in 22nd place and advance to 16th by the end of Stage 2. The starting spot was the furthest back for any winner at Watkins Glen in NASCAR history, surpassing Steve Park’s 2000 victory from 18th position and Joey Logano’s 2015 win from 16th place.
Chris Buescher is set to compete at Bristol Motor Speedway, a track where he has an average finish of 18.5 over 15 starts. His recent performances at the 0.533-mile race track include a win in 2022, finishes in the top five twice, in the top 10 twice, and once outside the top 20 in the last six races.
Chris Buescher details his final lap maneuver that helped him win at Watkins Glen
In a gripping moment, Chris Buescher's left side of the car made contact with Shane van Gisbergen's right door at the Bus Stop chicane. Buescher executed an inside pass on the esses, propelling him to finish with a lead of 0.979 seconds.
Reflecting on the maneuver, Buescher told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio:
"Yeah, that was, there's a lot of fun. [...] Took the white. Got out turn one well, seen him struggle through the s's a little bit and knew we're gaining into the bus stop. It’s not a great passing zone anymore. With the way it is my head doesn't hurt as much, but tried to track them down in there and I went to where by far the deepest I drove in all day and he was still digging." [00:41]
"I knew we had a shot at that point and soon get that big slide, went for the crossover and got by on there and the care center was able to run from there. It's a big win that we really had to fight for there in the closing laps," Chris Buescher added.
While Buescher is not in this year’s playoff contention, his team owner, Brad Keselowski, is positioned at 14th in the playoff standings, trailing 12 points behind the cutoff line.
