Chris Buescher overcame starting from the rear to earn a top-15 finish Sunday afternoon in the Fastenal Ford at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Teammate Brad Keselowski finished 17th in the Consumer Cellular Mustang.
An issue in the steering wrack on Saturday meant the No. 17 team was forced to replace it following the qualifying session. That change sent Buescher to the tail of the field to start Sunday afternoon’s 400-mile race, while Keselowski qualified 18th.
6 Recap
The No. 6 worked into the top-15 within the first five laps after the first caution of the day came just a lap in, forcing an early restart. The race’s first green-flag pit cycle began around lap 35 but Keselowski remained on track, inheriting the lead at lap 34. He led for eight laps before pitting at lap 40.
A caution flew just a handful of laps later when Keselowski pitted again, this time for scuff tires, restarting 26th. He went on to end the opening stage of 80 laps in 32nd.
The No. 6 team employed the same strategy from stage one to stage two as Keselowski remained on track through most of another green-flag cycle, eventually hitting pit road from P2 at lap 125. He went on to finish that stage in 27th.
From there, Keselowski restarted 24th to begin the third stage, then slowly worked his way back to the top-15. He hit pit road again under green at lap 217 from 14th, and held that position when the caution flew for the final time with 12 laps remaining. He went on to cross the line 17th.
17 Recap
Buescher battled back not once, but twice in the track position game in Sunday’s 267-lap race. His first pit stop of the afternoon came at lap 35 as he hit pit road from P12. He was 25th on a restart at lap 53, but powered to 21st to end the stage.
Then, under the stage break, Buescher was headed for service on his Ford Mustang, but contact from behind spun him backwards into the pit stall. That mishap put him 34th on the ensuing restart, meaning he needed to again regain much of the track position.
He was 25th by the end of stage two, and restarted 22nd for stage three. He hit pit road under green at lap 216 from 17th, and was up to 15th by the final caution at lap 255. From there he restarted 16th, but battled to P15 to end it.
Up Next
Martinsville Speedway hosts the Cup Series in the final race in the Round of 8 next weekend. Race coverage Sunday is set for 2 p.m. ET on NBC, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
RFK Racing PR
