Chris Buescher, last week’s unexpected winner at Pocono Raceway, made up half of the six-point deficit that stood between the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford and a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Collected in a Lap 84 wreck near the exit from the Inner Loop at Watkins Glen, Buescher finished 30th on Sunday and gained three points on David Ragan, who is 30th in the series standings. With a win in hand, Buescher must finish in the top 30 in the standings at the end of the 26-race regular season to be eligible to compete in the Chase.
In the aftermath of the wreck, Buescher wanted to stay in his car, which had nosed into the outside barrier, but he couldn’t keep the Ford in reverse. Finally, as NASCAR red-flagged the race for nearly 17 minutes, Buescher exited the car and made a trip to the infield care center while the car was towed to the garage.
“From where I was, we barely caught the wall on the inside,” Buescher said of the wreck. “Basically, the splitter hooked up in the mud. I know when I ran off course, trying to avoid the 4 (Kevin Harvick), it swung all kinds of grass over the car. I knew what the issue was. I was just trying to get them (track workers) to push.
“We were sitting downhill. Splitter is caked up under mud. Actually broke it loose. It was pretty packed. My hope was that we could be pushed backwards (so he wouldn’t have to leave the car). They don’t have any straps or anything to be able to hook to the back. Basically, they’re depending on being able to push the back bumper to get you moving. We didn’t have that opportunity.
“I get it. I mean, I get why they made me get out. I was just really frustrated and tried really hard to stay in it so we could keep rolling without losing any spots.”
As it turned out, after NASCAR withdrew the red flag, Buescher’s crew repaired the car to the point where he could return to the race track, and Buescher gained two positions – and two points – he otherwise would not have had.
Source: Reid Spencer / NASCAR Wire Service
