Both RFK cars led a series of laps Sunday at Pocono Raceway as Brad Keselowski earned a seventh-place finish in the NEXLIZET Ford, while Chris Buescher finished 11thin the BuildSubmarines.com Ford.
Varying pit strategy – and cautions falling interfering with that strategy – made the difference in the end, as four cautions flew in the final 44 laps alone. In total, Keselowski led 20 laps and earned top-10 stage finishes in each of the opening two stages, while Buescher led 19 laps in total.
6 Recap
Keselowski started the weekend off with a strong practice session on Saturday, then followed with a 14th-place qualifying effort. Just one caution split the opening stage of 30 laps, as Keselowski pitted for the first time before later driving to an eighth-place stage result, earning stage points.
The early strategy play put the No. 6 second on the restart for stage two, and he took advantage of the inside lane, taking the lead for the next 20 laps. He pitted from the lead at lap 54 under yellow and would restart 11th in what was the final restart of stage two.
He remained on track for the duration, and as cars hit pit road in the closing laps of the segment, Keselowski’s strategy netted him a P3 finish in the stage, earning more stage points. He pitted again at lap 96 under the stage break and would fire off eighth for stage three following another quick stop.
From there, he later advanced to fourth by lap 115, which triggered his final pit stop of the day. While most of the leaders took two tires, Keselowski took four, setting up what would have been a run to the finish on opposing strategy. That hope was spoiled though, as four cautions flew in a span of 18 laps, not allowing the No. 6 to advance through the top-10 in the quick cautions on restarts.
The green flew for the final time on lap 137 with Keselowski in eighth, and he picked off one additional spot in the closing laps to earn the seventh-place result.
17 Recap
Buescher and the No. 17 team had slightly different strategy, but a similar result in the closing laps. He fired off 18th on the day and drove to 11th by the end of stage one. After staying out (like Keselowski), Buescher restarted fifth for the second stage. That position held up until the next caution at lap 52 with Buescher in fourth, before he pitted under the yellow, lining back up 15th for the final restart of the segment.
Buescher pitted under green at lap 90 from sixth, swinging his strategy to stage three where he inherited the lead and led the field to green on that restart. He maintained the top spot for 19 consecutive laps, ultimately giving up the lead under caution at lap 115.
Like Keselowski, Buescher had four fresh tires at that point, but the continuous cautions halted any long-run progress as Buescher fought from 9th-11th, ultimately finishing 11th.
Up Next
Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the Cup Series for the final race prior to the Olympic break next Sunday. Race coverage is set for 2:30 p.m. ET from The Brickyard on NBC, with radio coverage on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
RFK Racing PR
