After ending the 2023 season as certainly one of prime performing groups, 2024 has been a little bit of a rollercoaster for the 31-year-old native of Prosper, Texas.
Buescher has gotten caught up in wrecks within the season opener at Daytona and at Las Vegas however in between he ran ninth at Atlanta and second most lately final weekend at Phoenix.
Buescher earned a career-best three wins final season and stays assured his staff retains the power to win. That’s what he’s relying on to qualify for a return journey to the playoffs.
Race winner Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, Castrol Edge Ford Mustang in victory lane
Picture by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
“The best way I see it, we’re not factors racing this yr. We’ve acquired to win races and we’re able to successful races and once we go try this, the remainder will fall in line,” he stated. “I don’t assume we’re a staff that’s going to sit down right here and say we’re going to need to battle for this bubble spot of fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth for factors to attempt to break into the playoffs.
“That’s not going to be our season and with that being the case, I’m not fearful in regards to the (lack of) stage factors and what we’ve been in a position to do there. I don’t like that it reveals we haven’t been the place we should be.
“We’ve acquired a full dumpster round right here of race automotive elements and that in the end reveals why we don’t have any extra factors to indicate for it.”
Chasing wins, not factors
At present, Buescher sits sixteenth within the sequence standings, which might internet him the ultimate playoff spot. However his tenuous factors place would instantly get overridden with a victory, which might lock him into the 16-driver subject.
The excellent news is Buescher has two races developing that might present wonderful alternatives for his first win of the yr.
Buescher is a former winner at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, website of Sunday’s race, and in current seasons he has proved a really adept highway course racer, which bodes effectively for the March 25 race at Circuit of the Americas.
This weekend’s spring race at Bristol returns to the concrete floor after three years of being run as a dust occasion.
“Bristol has been my favourite race observe for a extremely lengthy time frame. I’ve completely liked it there from the primary I used to be in a position to go,” Buescher stated. “I’ve all the time run very well there.
“I simply had it fast fairly early on. I’ve acquired that sword at house proper now and acquired a Bristol win, received a Bristol Night time Race, which has been the one race on the highest of my checklist that I take care of just a bit bit greater than anyplace else.
“It’s essentially the most enjoyable observe we go to.”
Whereas Buescher has seen extra success at a number of the Cup Sequence’ different highway programs, he stated he’s decided to search out related outcomes at COTA.
“It appears to be the one highway course that hasn’t been our strongest. We’ve acquired to determine why that’s,” he stated. “However we’re able to go down there and switch that round, get by way of that dialog and begin speaking about successful in entrance of that house crowd.
“That might be an enormous second.”
The place can the No. 17 enhance?
Buescher stated he can’t level to at least one particular space his staff wants to enhance this yr – maybe execution could be the very best time period. Nevertheless, he is aware of he begins 2024 much better than he did final season and 2023 was his finest Cup season but.
“We’ve acquired to scrub up and discover slightly little bit of luck right here or there. We’ve acquired to make higher choices at sure occasions and simply be smarter in methods and work more durable, clear up,” he stated.
“It’s going to be tough, however I’m not going to learn a lot into it proper now. Like I stated, we’re undoubtedly not going to begin having factors talks this early within the season. That’s not my pace in any respect.”
