Buescher Clinches Playoff Berth with Richmond Win
Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s dominant performance at Richmond (Va.) Raceway was capped off by Chris Buescher’s triumph, as he held off the field on a late restart with three laps to go to secure victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 on Sunday afternoon. This victory, both for Buescher and the RFK team, marks their first of the season.
In a combined effort with teammate Brad Keselowski, who is also a co-owner of RFK, Buescher led a remarkable 190 of 400 laps, with his 88 laps out front marking the most he has led in his eight-year NASCAR Cup Series career. This accomplishment secures a valuable automatic bid into the 16-driver Playoff field with only four races left in the regular season.
Buescher’s No. 17 RFK Ford managed to hold off Denny Hamlin, last week’s race winner, by a narrow .549 seconds, despite Buescher’s advantage of over five seconds on Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota prior to a late caution caused by an incident involving Noah Gragson and Daniel Suarez in the closing laps.
Reflecting on his victory, Buescher commented, “It was smooth sailing trying to take care of this Fastenal Mustang, it was so good and trying to take care of it there and about the time (crew chief) Scott (Graves) said over the radio ‘It’s working perfect, keep it up,’ and then there’s a caution… But we were so strong during the race, I had a good feeling there about it… So awesome to pull it off. I’m proud of everybody. That was a long way from the back.”
The lone yellow flag during the race, aside from the two stage breaks, made for a physically demanding afternoon at the Richmond three-quarter mile track, with temperatures inside the race car exceeding 130 degrees. Martin Truex Jr., who finished seventh, humorously described the conditions as feeling like “a hair dryer blowing on you.”
Despite the challenging conditions, the 30-year-old Texan, Buescher, demonstrated exceptional performance, starting from 26th place and consistently advancing. He entered the Top-5 by lap 160, progressively closing the gap on race leaders including Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Keselowski, and Hamlin.
Surprisingly, pit road complications, rather than on-track racing, hindered several potential winning efforts. Wallace led for 80 laps in the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota but faced setbacks when a slow tire change during a green-flag pit stop on Lap 175 set him back to a 12th-place finish.
Tyler Reddick, the polesitter, faced penalty trouble with a commitment line violation during a green flag pit stop, dropping him from a top-3 position to a struggle to remain on the lead lap. He eventually finished 16th, leading 81 laps early and securing his fourth stage win.
Brad Keselowski, after leading a race-best 102 laps, faced challenges in the pits with an awkward turn during a green flag stop, allowing Buescher to seize the lead with fewer than 100 laps remaining.
Buescher’s victory secures him a spot in the postseason, and other single-race winners this season also clinched Playoff berths on Monday. Among the notable finishers, Kyle Busch of Richard Childress Racing finished third, while Joey Logano of Team Penske rallied to fourth place, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece achieved his best finish of the season in fifth place.
With Buescher’s win, there are now 12 drivers with victories in 2023, leaving only four positions available for new winners or top drivers in points. Kevin Harvick and Keselowski enjoy a comfortable 100-point advantage over the 16th-place cutoff. Bubba Wallace is 54 points ahead, and Michael McDowell of Front Row Motorsports maintains an 18-point lead over Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Ty Gibbs for the 16th-place position. Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger trails McDowell by 22 points.
Four races remain to finalize the 2023 Playoff field, with the series moving to Michigan International Speedway for the Firekeepers Casino 400 next week.
