Chris Buescher finally got the road course victory he’d been searching for, winning Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen in dramatic fashion. The victory marks Buescher’s first of the season and also the first for BuildSubmarines.com.
“That’s such a good BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang,” Buescher said after the win. “This team is so great. Our long run speed was just phenomenal. I thought we lost it there on that last one and to stay right there with him.
“That was the spot he was better than us and he missed it, so I tried a crossover. He went to cut and just hard racing there. It’s just such an awesome finish. To be that good for so much at the end of the race, all race, to get a win is good. We came here to be a spoiler and we did that.”
It took two restarts in the final laps to decide it, as Buescher maintained his lead the first two attempts before immediate yellows were again displayed. The third – in NASCAR Overtime – was a different story as road course ringer Shane Van Gisbergen got the best of the No. 17 on the initial restart. However, Buescher chased him down, ultimately overcoming the No. 16 on the back of WGI to take the checkered flag.
The win marks RFK’s second of the year after Brad Keselowski won Darlington back in May. It is the sixth victory under the RFK banner (since 2022) and 143rd overall for Jack Roush in NASCAR Cup Series action.
6 Recap
Keselowski had an eventful afternoon in the 220+ mile race. After starting 28th, Keselowski pitted just prior to the opening stage break to finish 25th. However, he was caught speeding on the stop and was forced to restart at the tail of the field.
He rolled 31st at lap 24, and 12 laps later hit pit road again for service. This time the team was assessed a uncontrolled tire penalty, again putting the King’s Hawaiian Ford to the rear.
He restarted 26th for the third stage, and when the caution flew just four laps later, he pitted in what – at the time – looked to be the final stop. That strategy kept Keselowski on track until 11 laps remaining, as he got as high as second trying to stretch the run on fuel.
However, he ultimately pitted at lap 79 from the eighth position, just prior to a caution a lap later. At that point his fuel was ample to the finish, but five laps later he was involved in a caution with the No. 24, forcing him to pit road for multiple damage repairs. From there, Keselowski crossed the line 26th.
17 Recap
Buescher slowly but surely used his long-run speed to reverse the course of a starting spot of 24th. Like Keselowski, Buescher hit pit road prior to the stage one end for the first service of the day at lap 17. He would finish the stage in 22nd, but restarted ninth for stage two at lap 24.
His next stop came under green-flag conditions at lap 36 from P10, before finishing stage two 15th.
Buescher fired off 10th for stage three at lap 42, and had worked his way to sixth by lap 49. From there, he quickly picked off spot after spot in the next few laps, working all the way to second by lap 56, before taking the lead at lap 57 for the first time.
With many of the cars at the time short on fuel, all Buescher needed was a clean stop and a clean race track, and he got both. It took 15 laps from the time of the stop (lap 58) to when he retook the lead, but he did just that at lap 73, leading the next 16 laps on the field.
Then, with 10 to go, the No. 21 lost a tire resulting in debris on the track. A handful of cars pitted for fresh tires, but Buescher remained on track, leading the field back to green at lap 83. That sequence happened again, this time resulting in a restart with three to go. He maintained the lead again in that sequence, before the final yellow flew immediately.
Van Gisbergen initially took over the lead from the No. 17, but Buescher maintained and set up the perfect pass in the carousel, driving past for the victory. In all, Buescher led 19 laps, second-most of any driver.
Up Next
Bristol Motor Speedway hosts the final race in the Round of 16 of the NASCAR Playoffs. Race coverage next Saturday night is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, with radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
RFK Racing PR
