RICHMOND, Va.: Chris Buescher is off to a solid start in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, but the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver returns to Richmond (Va.) Raceway looking to put his No. 17 team back in Victory Lane in Sunday night’s ToyotaCare 400.
For all intents and purposes, Buescher surprised the competition with a victory in the most recent Cup Series race at the 0.875-mile Virginia short track last summer. Still, after four top-10 finishes in six races this season, including an eighth-place result at Circuit of the Americas last Sunday, Buescher is ready to be back at Victory Lane.
“A lot of hard work in COTA to get to that point,” said Buescher, reflecting on the first road course race of the season. “Certainly, it was a rough start to our day there. It’s one of those deals with a strange part failure that didn’t know that was a thing, so we won’t have to worry about that going forward.
“Heading into Richmond, a track that I have despised for most of my career has certainly been a lot better since the Next Gen car. We’ve been very competitive there for a couple years. Last year, I really enjoyed both races and then being able to be so good there in the fall, not just our car but both of our race cars, to the point where I felt like we were battling each other for the win there through the final stage. It was a lot of fun.
“It’s a track that I’ve really wanted to like for most of my career, for all of my career. I made my first NASCAR start there subbing in an Xfinity car with Roush, so it should have held a little better place in my heart, but it’s been a tough one for a long time. That being said, I’m truly excited to be heading back to Richmond.”
Ford debuted the new Ford Mustang Dark House in 2024; the latest manufacturer body has shown promise. Between Team Penske, RFK Racing, and Stewart-Haas Racing, the three powerhouse Cup teams have been able to produce speed in qualifying and the race. However, after six races, the blue oval is still winless.
However, Buescher isn’t fazed and believes Sunday’s Easter race could deliver the strategy to put the blue oval back in Victory Lane.
“I know we’ve spoke with a lot of you through the last 18 months at this point and talked about RFK as a group feeling like we don’t have to circle racetracks as our only opportunities while also not having to circle racetracks that we’re dreading,” explained Buescher.
“This is certainly one that we feel like is a great opportunity, knowing where we were at last season. We obviously have some changes with the new Mustang and with the short track aero package, so we’ve got some changes coming at us, but we’re ready for them and feel like it could be another race-winning day and get our streak started a lot earlier, which sure would be nice.
“That basically was our main goal on the year is how do we take what we had starting at the Richmond fall race and start this season off in the first quarter with that kind of momentum. How do we win a race early on and get that fired off to where we’re in a better place through the summer and not feeling like we’re trying to play catch-up.”
Buescher and the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series tour will utilize the new Cup Series short-track vehicle package that debuted earlier this year at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in March. That race paid off for the RFK team, which had a season-high second-place finish.
The Phoenix result was encouraging for Buescher and RFK heading into the first of two trips to the Old Dominion this season.
On Saturday morning, Buescher qualified 14th ahead of his 16th Cup race in the Virginia Commonwealth.
With his 300th Cup Series start on deck for 400 laps on Sunday night, a win could not come at a more opportune time for Buescher and his No. 17 NEXLETOL Ford Mustang team.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
