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After ending the 2023 season as one among 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 workforce retains the flexibility 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
Photograph by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
“The way in which I see it, we’re not factors racing this 12 months. We’ve received to win races and we’re able to successful races and after we go try this, the remaining will fall in line,” he mentioned. “I don’t assume we’re a workforce that’s going to take a seat right here and say we’re going to must 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 anxious in regards to the (lack of) stage factors and what we’ve been capable of do there. I don’t like that it reveals we haven’t been the place we should be.
“We’ve received a full dumpster round right here of race automobile elements and that finally reveals why we don’t have any extra factors to point out for it.”
Chasing wins, not factors
Presently, 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 discipline.
The excellent news is Buescher has two races arising that would present glorious alternatives for his first win of the 12 months.
Buescher is a former winner at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, website of Sunday’s race, and in latest 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 mud occasion.
“Bristol has been my favourite race monitor for a extremely lengthy time frame. I’ve completely beloved it there from the primary I used to be capable of go,” Buescher mentioned. “I’ve all the time run very well there.
“I simply had it fast fairly early on. I’ve received that sword at house proper now and received a Bristol win, gained a Bristol Night time Race, which has been the one race on the highest of my record that I take care of just a bit bit greater than anyplace else.
“It’s essentially the most enjoyable monitor we go to.”
Whereas Buescher has seen extra success at a few of the Cup Sequence’ different highway programs, he mentioned he’s decided to search out comparable outcomes at COTA.
“It appears to be the one highway course that hasn’t been our strongest. We’ve received to determine why that’s,” he mentioned. “However we’re able to go down there and switch that round, get via that dialog and begin speaking about successful in entrance of that house crowd.
“That might be a giant second.”
The place can the No. 17 enhance?
Buescher mentioned he can’t level to at least one particular space his workforce wants to enhance this 12 months – maybe execution could be the most effective 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 received to wash up and discover a little bit little bit of luck right here or there. We’ve received to make higher selections at sure occasions and simply be smarter in methods and work more durable, clear up,” he mentioned.
“It’s going to be tough, however I’m not going to learn a lot into it proper now. Like I mentioned, we’re undoubtedly not going to start out having factors talks this early within the season. That’s not my velocity in any respect.”
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