BROOKLYN, Mich.—Chris Buescher was just 15 when he signed his first contract with Roush Racing.
The organization was a perennial contender and Buescher was a relative unknown from Prosper, Texas.
After spending half of his life watching and experiencing the up-and-downs of the organization founded by Jack Roush, Buescher is now part of the race team’s resurgence.
“It’s been a very short period of time, and also an eternity at the same time,” Buescher said. “Think back to the same point 15 years ago. Roush was dominating…eight or nine wins on a season, competing for championships, knowing that this was going to be a great place to go win races as you continue to build up through your career, right?
“You look back at it now. We needed to take a massive step and a big swing. I think that’s where, with some of Brad’s direction, the re-brand within RFK as a group, I think that’s been the investment. Our expectation is not to get five spots better, it is to win races and to compete for championships.”
Certainly, Brad Keselowski adding his name to the ownership group has been a game changer. The culture has changed dramatically at RFK—including Buescher’s 5:30 am workouts at the team gym. But slowly, the investment in the team and personnel is paying off.
“The highs are high and the lows are low over here,” Keselowski said. “We had a lot of lows last year. It’s nice to have these high marks. I don’t take them for granted. They mean more to me probably because of how big a struggle last year was for both teams. Probably even more specifically for me.
“I’m thrilled for it. I know the work that goes into it on all aspects. I’m thrilled for every department of our company, from the marketing side through all of competition. We’ve come so far.”
Before Buescher’s Bristol victory last year, a Roush Fenway Racing Ford had not been to Victory Lane since 2017. For the first time since the start of the 2009 season when Matt Kenseth was in his heyday, the No. 17 Ford scored back-to-back wins—this time with the 30-year-old racer behind the wheel.
For most of the last decade, crew chief Scott Graves has watched the rise and fall of Roush. With Keselowski coming on board, he’s witnessing its comeback.
“In the past there’s been expectations, right? We’re always saying we’re going to right the ship and get things going,” Graves said. “With Brad, there’s expectations, but he has been very adamant and supportive about actually giving us the tools.
“It’s a lot of things. But it’s really just been his support, I guess, to the teams to make sure we have everything we need to be competitive.”
If RFK had just won last week and not backed the victory up with the Michigan win, the performance might have been brushed off as a fluke. But with both drivers posting strong finishes at Richmond Raceway followed by a second win for Buescher and a fourth-place result for Keselowski at Michigan, clearly the company is trending in the right direction.
“Both cars last two weeks have been exceptionally strong,” Keselowski said. “I felt like Chris was a little better than I was last week, executed at a really high level, knocked it out of the ballpark with a win.
“This week I think I was a little bit faster, he executed really well. That’s what it takes. The 19 car, Martin Truex, is no slouch, I can tell you that. He was a rocket most of the day. For Chris to be able to hold him off is really impressive.”
Buescher won the 2015 Xfinity Series title. The following season he made his Cup debut with Front Row Motorsports and qualified for the postseason with a rain-shortened win at Pocono Raceway. After six seasons and three different teams, Buescher finally finds himself in a position where he can compete for wins and possibly championships again.
But before this year, Buescher didn’t buy into the concept of momentum. He does now.
“Momentum is something that I didn’t believe in it for a long time,” Buescher said. “My career didn’t really feel like that was a real thing. I was wrong. I was certainly wrong. I feel like you see it more now. Just to know that this Next Gen car, it’s probably a little bit more similar across some racetracks than the old cars, but also it certainly goes a long way.
“When you think about what Richmond is to Michigan, you weigh those tracks over each other, not even in the same ballpark, right? To be able to sit here (in the media center) two weeks in a row at both those places that, in my mind, is the biggest accomplishment.”
For the first time since 2019, when Ryan Newman squeaked into the Playoffs with Graves on the pit box, an RFK Ford will be contending for the NASCAR Cup title in postseason competition. With a 168-point lead over 17th-place Michael McDowell, Keselowski likely is Playoff-bound.
“We still have a long ways to go to get to where I want us to be, but we’re building some really strong momentum with these wins,” Keselowski said.
“I’m just as curious as anyone else to see where it goes from here. I try not to have expectations for good or bad. I just try to do our best, see what that plays out to on the field.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
