Buescher’s

NASCAR makes its return to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series set to roll Sunday afternoon for 500 laps at ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile.’ A Jack Roush Ford has visited victory lane 18 times at Bristol, including 11 times in the Cup Series. Ryan Newman will pilot the No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang and Chris Buescher will pilot the No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang.

Bristol Motor Speedway (.533-mile)
Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500

Sunday, May 31, 2020 | 3:30 p.m. ET

FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

Ryan Newman, No. 6 Castrol Ford Mustang
Chris Buescher, No. 17 SunnyD Ford Mustang

NASCAR Returns to Action

Following four races in the Carolinas as part of NASCAR’s return to the track, the focus shifts to ‘The World’s Fastest Half Mile’ in Bristol, Tennessee, as the NASCAR Cup Series battles for 500 laps Sunday afternoon.
Following action at Bristol, the NCS will enjoy its first midweek off since the return before heading to Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 7 for the 10^th points race of 2020.
Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.

Thursday Recap, Sunday Preview

Ryan Newman found himself in the top-15 at the start of the final stage in Thursday night’s 208-lap event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, before crossing the line 17^th in the Roush Performance Ford. Teammate Chris Buescher earned a stage point in the opening 55 laps at Charlotte before going on to finish 22^nd.
The focus again shifts to a short track with Bristol, which happens to be a favorite of both Newman’s and Buescher’s.

Starting Lineup Procedures at Bristol

NASCAR announced this week the starting lineup for Bristol would be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owners points. Both Buescher and Newman – 20^th and 21^st, respectively – fall within the 13-24 group, with their random draw coming from charter teams in those positions. Newman drew the 17^th starting spot for Sunday, while Buescher drew 19^th.

Runner Up

Roush Fenway’s storied history at Bristol began on April 10, 1988 with the No. 6 NCS car earning a second-place finish. Since that time, in addition to the organization’s 11 NCS wins at the track, Roush Fenway Fords have finished second at Bristol on 15 occasions (7 NCS, 4 NXS, 4 NGROTS).

One-Two Punch

Roush Fenway’s most recent victory at Bristol came after sweeping the top two positions in the March 2014 event with former driver Carl Edwards taking the victory and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. coming home in second. Edwards led the final 78 laps of the event to earn the victory.

History and Hot Streaks at “Thunder Valley”

Roush Fenway’s history at Bristol has been one of hot streaks, including trips to victory lane in nine of the last 16 seasons at the famed short track. Roush Fenway swept the track in 2003 and put a NCS car in victory lane at least once in every season from 2002-2008.

Thunder Rolls

Roush Fenway has earned five victories, 23 top-five finishes, 37 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.8 at Bristol in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Former Roush Fenway driver David Ragan earned the organization’s most recent Xfinity victory at the .533-mile short track in the Aug. 2009 event.

Tale of the Tape

Roush Fenway has started 212 NCS races at Charlotte, recording eight total wins with 46 top-five and 80 top-10 finishes. RFR Fords have an average finish of 16.3 with 2627 laps led all-time.

Roush Fenway Bristol Wins

1993-2 Martin Cup

1996-1 Martin NXS

1997-1 Burton NXS

1998-2 Martin Cup

2002-1 Busch Cup

2003-1 Busch Cup

2003-2 Busch Cup

2004-1 Busch Cup

2004 Edwards Truck

2005-2 Kenseth Cup

2006-2 Kenseth Cup

2006 Martin Truck

2006-2 Kenseth NXS

2007-1 Edwards NXS

2007-2 Edwards Cup

2008-2 Edwards Cup

2009-2 Ragan NXS

2014 -1 Edwards Cup

CONCORD, N.C. (May 24, 2020) – Chris Buescher picked up three spots during a feverish final two-lap dash to bring his No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford home 11^th in Sunday night’s famed Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Buescher and the No. 17 team battled to the final turn, overcoming an early penalty on pit road to secure the solid finish in one of NASCAR’s biggest events of the season.

After qualifying 19th, Buescher worked his Ford up to 13^th position, where he settled in until the competition caution flag waved at Lap 20. The team pitted for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, but received a penalty on pit road and had to restart from the rear of the field.

Buescher hit the track running top-five lap times, driving up to 23^rd before the field was red flagged for heavy rain in the area. Once the weather subsided and racing resumed, the No. 17 team hit pit road for four more tires and fuel and Buescher moved his car up to 16^th at the end of Stage 1.

The 2015 Xfinity Series champion pitted at the stage break for grill tape, four tires and fuel and returned to the field in 13^th position. Halfway through the second stage, Buescher was toggling between 12th and 15th. As the first green-flag pit stops cycled through, the team elected to pit for four more tires and fuel. Back on track in 20th and one lap down, Buescher reported that his Ford was tight across the center and that his long run speed was off. The No. 17 team took the green-white checkered 18th, earning the free pass position to restart stage three back on the lead lap.

The longest green flag runs of the race came in Stage 3. Buescher held steady in 18^th all the way up to a green flag pit stop at lap 256. The team took four tires and fuel, returning to the track one lap down and 21^st. Spotter Mike Herman reported a tire rub on the No. 17 machine, but fortunately the smoke subsided as the team continued to focus on making lap times. At lap 275, a competitor car hit the wall and Buescher took the opportunity to pit for fresh tires and fuel with the caution. The driver restarted 17^th, but finished the stage 15^th.

Buescher’s successful stage break pitstop for four tires and fuel helped him to restart 13^th. The driver lost momentum on the restart and slid back to 16th. A late race caution allowed the No. 17 team to pit one more time to fix the front turn. The adjustments and strong restart helped propel Buescher to the 12^th-place result.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Charlotte Motor Speedway Wednesday for a 310-mile (205-lap) event, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90).

Roush Fenway Weekly Advance | Bristol I

Buescher Battles Back to a Solid 11th-Place Finish in Coke 600