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  • Hot 20 – Pocono, where Kyle’s winning streak comes to an end…maybe

    Hot 20 – Pocono, where Kyle’s winning streak comes to an end…maybe

    Back we go to Pocono, where Martin Truex Jr. won in the spring, where all of the Hendrick drivers shared in winning the previous five. A Busch has won there, twice. His name is Kurt.

    Kyle Busch has not…yet. He swept Indianapolis last weekend, meaning he ran and won the XFINITY race there on Saturday. It was his second junior circuit win in five tries this season. That now means series regulars have won just three of 18 events, with Chris Buescher taking two while Ryan Reed won at Daytona in February. Truck series wonder-kid Erik Jones has a pair while six Cup drivers have shared the other 13. Of course, most see what the problem is. I guess stupid is as stupid does, as Forrest Gump reminded us.

    NASCAR spent tons of time and money figuring out a package to run at Indy. Then they got teams to spend their own time and money to ready their cars with that new package. In the end, they appear to have wasted a bunch of time and money. The racing was not much different than it has ever been, which is not all that good while making them a bit more sensitive to losing control after losing air on the spoiler, spoiling their day. Next month, they will use the same package in Michigan. You can never have too much of a bad thing, I guess.

    Word is that Danica Patrick is expected to stay with Stewart-Haas after this season, a new contract and new sponsors. Why? It has everything to do with being a competent attractive female in a sport dominated by men. She might never contend for a title or even a Chase berth, but as long as she continues to enjoy the following she has, she does not have to.

    Cameron Hayley is a 19-year-old Canadian sitting sixth in the truck series standings. He is a Calgary boy, making him as likely to be a cowboy as a hockey player. Instead, he turned to racing. Too bad the truck series is not broadcast in Canada this season. However, if you want to watch soccer instead, I got great news for you.

    Heading to Pocono, our Hot 20 does not include our hottest driver. Heading out of Pocono probably will be a different story. If you are wondering if it is all about Kyle…it seems it is.

    1. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 4 WINS (675 Points)
    Will remain first overall, unless Kyle wins Pocono.

    2. KEVIN HARVICK – 2 WINS (777 Points)
    All the talk is about Kyle, but Harv’s finishes over the past five have been fourth, fourth, eighth, third, and third.

    3. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS (677 Points)
    The last driver not named Kyle Busch to win a Cup race.

    4. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS (612 Points)
    Kyle’s first bridesmaid was his own brother.

    5. JOEY LOGANO – 1 WIN (708 Points)
    Bridesmaid No. 2…and No. 4.

    6. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN (668 Points)
    Could have helped Kyle and Kevin in late restarts…but I guess they were on their own.

    7. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN (638 Points)
    Kyle’s other bridesmaid, as Penske finished second in each of the past three.

    8. MATT KENSETH – 1 WIN (615 Points)
    As a teammate, he personally knows Kyle.

    9. DENNY HAMLIN – 1 WIN (591 Points)
    So does Denny.

    10. CARL EDWARDS – 1 WIN (519 Points)
    So does Carl.

    11. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 602 POINTS
    Has enough points that Kyle’s expected jump up the ladder affects him the least.

    12. JEFF GORDON – 575 POINTS
    Forget Kyle. Until further notice, the goal is to finish ahead of Bowyer every week.

    13. RYAN NEWMAN – 563 POINTS
    After Pocono and Kyle’s expected rise in the standings, things get a little more tense.

    14. KASEY KAHNE – 558 POINTS
    Same as above.

    15. PAUL MENARD – 558 POINTS
    Ditto.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 538 POINTS
    If Kyle moves up, 16th becomes the new 17th.

    17. ARIC ALMIROLA – 508 POINTS
    Forget Kyle and forget making the Chase on points. A win is the only way in.

    18. GREG BIFFLE – 462 POINTS
    Kyle is the least of his worries.

    19. AUSTIN DILLON – 453 POINTS
    Like Kyle, Austin was a speed racer at Indy. Unlike Kyle, he did his speeding on pit road…twice.

    20. KYLE LARSON – 452 POINTS
    The other Kyle.

  • Chris Buescher Coasts on Fumes to Checkered Flag in Buckle Up 200

    Chris Buescher Coasts on Fumes to Checkered Flag in Buckle Up 200

    After contact with his teammate Darrell Wallace Jr., Chris Buescher gambled on fuel and nursed his No. 60 Roush Performance Products Ford to the checkered flag in the Buckle Up 200 at the Monster Mile. This was also Buescher’s first victory in three races at Dover International Speedway.

    “I never know what to believe and you never know how much you need to save,” Buescher said. “We were really just trying to go easy on the throttle and then at the end, we just had to let it coast at least half of the straightaway.”

    “It was really tough to do and I felt like we were going really slow,” Buescher said. “You have to convince yourself to do it. But we made it to the end and we had enough to do a burnout.”

    “It was nerve-wracking for sure,” Scott Graves, Buescher’s crew chief said. “You know you’re close and you don’t know exactly how much it was going to take. But we knew we were going to be OK when everyone else came in and we had a lap to play with at the end.”

    “Once we got down to that point, I was feeling better about it.”

    This is Buescher’s second Xfinity Series win of the season and with the win, he maintained the points lead over Ty Dillon by 15 points.

    Buescher’s victory, however, was not without controversy due to the contact with teammate Bubba Wallace, who cut a tire and soldiered on to finish a disappointing 17th.

    “It is my teammate so I can’t really say much,” Wallace said. “I asked the spotter after the race and he said we got run over. I was saving fuel there and Chris just ran over me and he ends up winning.”

    “It should be interesting Monday morning. We just got run over. It sucks that it was my teammate,” Wallace continued. “I was saving fuel. I didn’t think I was holding him tight and the next thing you know we are almost in the fence.”

    “The crappy part about it is we had a really strong Ford EcoBoost Mustang and we couldn’t get off pit road to save us and we got caught in dirty air and then we were in fuel saving mode. I thought we were doing okay until that little incident. I would say I am happy Roush won but I am not.”

    Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 20 Reser’s Toyota, overcame an early tire issue to finish in the runner up position.

    “We had a great race car and I actually thought it was all going to work out for us,” Kenseth said. “I had to pit out of sequence and that let us a set of tires short. We got to stay out and lead some at the end and I honestly didn’t think that anyone could run that long on fuel.”

    “We came up a little short but we had a really, really fast race car.”

    This was Kenseth’s 13th top-10 finish in 21 races at the Monster Mile and is his third top-10 finish in the 2015 season.

    Regan Smith, driver of the No. 7 Breyers Chevrolet, took the checkered flag in the third spot. He also scored the $100,000 Dash for Cash honors provided by the Xfinity Series.

    “We had to work hard overnight because I didn’t like where the race car was,” Smith said. “They made good adjustments and we had very fast pit stops.”

    “Fuel mileage races are frustrating though,” Smith continued. “I haven’t been on the good end of one yet. Disappointed about that but proud of the effort today.”

    Smith advised that he had a child so that is where he intended to utilize the $100,000 bonus from the Dash for Cash. This was Smith’s fourth top-10 finish in 11 races at the Monster Mile.

    In spite of it being his nineteenth birthday, Erik Jones suffered another heartbreak in the Xfinity Series race after disappointment in the Truck race the night before. Jones missed pit road and then got a speeding penalty to boot, however, was able to soldier on to finish in the ninth position.

    “I just missed it,” Jones said. “It’s tough to get onto pit road here. I should have practiced it. It just didn’t work out at the end.”

    There was also another crash involving Ryan Blaney, Brian Scott and Jamie Dick. The initial incident was between Blaney and Brian Scott, the latter of whom started spinning. Unfortunately, Jamie Dick then plowed into Scott with violent impact.

    “The 22 (Blaney) was kind of out of control and he got real loose off (Turn) 4 so I got a run to his inside going into Turn 1. I just feel like he didn’t give me any room,” Scott said. “I went in there and he was stuck to my door. It just caused me to just suck around. As soon as I turned down in the corner I was loose.”

    “It sucks. I guess it’s a product of restarts here at Dover. That (second hit) hurt.”

    The 18 slipped a little bit off of four and the 2 got inside of us and must have got loose or something,” Blaney said. “Unfortunately we got in the fence there. It was unfortunate because I would have liked to see where it went.”

    “It was only lap 50 and I wish we could have raced more than that. They put it back together and we got what we got. It has been a rough last couple weeks for us. Hopefully we can get it turned around eventually.”

    Austin Dillon finished fourth, Kasey Kahne fifth and Chase Elliott, Brendan Gaughan, Ty Dillon, Erik Jones and Jeremy Clements rounded out the top-ten.

    2015 NXS Buckle Up 200 Race Results

    Fin Str Car Driver Team Lap Pts BPts Status TLd LLd
    1 2 60 Chris Buescher Roush Performance Products Ford 200 47 4 Running 1 10
    2 3 20 Matt Kenseth(i) Reser’s Toyota 200 0 Running 1 51
    3 10 7 Regan Smith Breyers Chevrolet 200 41 Running
    4 8 33 Austin Dillon(i) Rheem Chevrolet 200 0 Running 1 17
    5 7 88 Kasey Kahne(i) Ragu Chevrolet 200 0 Running
    6 14 9 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 199 38 Running
    7 11 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Chevrolet 199 37 Running
    8 12 3 Ty Dillon WESCO Chevrolet 199 36 Running
    9 6 54 Erik Jones(i) Monster Energy Toyota 199 0 Running 2 70
    10 15 51 Jeremy Clements RepairableVehicles.com/AllSouthElectric.com 198 34 Running
    11 17 16 Ryan Reed Lilly/American Diabetes Association Ford 198 33 Running
    12 18 42 Brennan Poole DC Solar Chevrolet 198 32 Running
    13 24 44 David Starr Zachry Toyota 198 31 Running
    14 19 43 Dakoda Armstrong WinField Ford 198 30 Running
    15 16 25 John Wes Townley(i) Zaxby’s Chevrolet 198 0 Running
    16 21 4 Ross Chastain # Heroes Haven Chevrolet 198 28 Running
    17 1 6 Darrell Wallace Jr. # Ford EcoBoost Ford 197 28 1 Running 3 52
    18 23 28 JJ Yeley Big Barrel Country Music Festival Toyota 197 26 Running
    19 4 18 Daniel Suarez # ARRIS Toyota 197 25 Running
    20 20 39 Ryan Sieg Uncle Bob’s Self Storage Chevrolet 197 24 Running
    21 13 1 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Ford 196 23 Running
    22 28 1 Landon Cassill Meding’s Seafood/Iron Source Chevrolet 195 22 Running
    23 37 26 CJ Faison Deputy Builders Toyota 194 21 Running
    24 30 24 Eric McClure Hefty Toyota 193 20 Running
    25 32 97 Peyton Sellers # Vroom Brands Chevrolet 193 19 Running
    26 34 0 Harrison Rhodes # teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet 192 18 Running
    27 33 15 BJ McLeod(i) BYBExtremeFighting.com Chevrolet 191 0 Running
    28 38 70 Derrike Cope Circle Track Warehouse Chevrolet 187 16 Running
    29 35 52 Joey Gase Donate Life Chevrolet 179 15 Running
    30 25 8 Blake Koch LeafFilter Gutter Protection Toyota 171 14 Accident
    31 36 13 Timmy Hill(i) Braille Battery/Grafoid Dodge 159 0 Suspension
    32 29 90 Mario Gosselin VR Victoriaville Chevrolet 147 12 Running
    33 26 14 Cale Conley # IAVA Toyota 135 11 Accident
    34 9 22 Ryan Blaney Hertz Ford 131 10 Running
    35 40 74 Mike Harmon In Memory of David Torteotot Dodge 113 9 Suspension
    36 5 2 Brian Scott ACME/Kraft Singles Chevrolet 63 8 Accident
    37 22 55 Jamie Dick Viva Auto Group Chevrolet 62 7 Accident
    38 27 40 Carl Long Braille Battery/Grafoid Toyota 33 6 Engine
    39 39 89 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 33 5 Overheating
    40 31 19 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Toyota 3 4 Vibration

    # = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series

     

  • Chris Buescher Ready to Conquer Monster Mile Thanks to Family and Friends

    Chris Buescher Ready to Conquer Monster Mile Thanks to Family and Friends

    Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 60 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing and current leader of the point standings in the XFINITY Series, is ready to take on the Monster Mile this weekend in Dover, Delaware. But he does so only with a little help from his family and friends.

    “Dad was really the guy who got me into racing first of all,” Buescher said. “He was never in racing himself but he was a fan and went to races in Daytona and at Texas Motor Speedway. He was always a hot rod guy, working on something in the garage.”

    “So I would always try to go out there and help, although I think by helping I probably slowed him down more than anything.”

    “That’s how we got started,” Buescher continued. “We got into motorcycles, Bandoleros which is kind of a strange way to come into racing because most guys go the go-kart route. We had a motocross track about 45 minutes from us in Texas so it made sense to try it.”

    “We went out there on weekends when I was 6 to 9 years old. It was pretty cool loading up the back of the truck, go racing and see what happens. I had a really good time with it. Then I flipped over the handlebars, got run over by a kid at one of the races that my mom came to and that kind of nixed that program. She was over it.”

    “That’s when I got into Bandoleros and Legend cars, with four tires, roll cages and seat belts. We convinced Mom that was safer. We did that for several years, three years in Bandoleros. In the Legend cars, we really started traveling quite a bit all over the East coast. Dad would come out, work in the shop and spectate.”

    “A lot of it, my Dad was able to come to, especially early on. Then our crew chief Michael took care of things during the week while Dad was at work. I’d get out of school early on Friday and ride with him to wherever we were racing and then Dad would fly in for weekends if we were on the East coast.”

    “But it got to be with Dad’s work that it was a little harder for him to make every race. So, he had to spread them out a little bit more.”

    “It’s the same way now because Mom and Dad started their own company a couple years ago and are trying to get that up and running. So, they don’t get to make it to many races anymore. They are trying to do better this year so we’ve seen them about two or three times so far, most recently in Charlotte.”

    “My Dad really has been the guy that has been my role model coming up.”

    In addition to his family, Buescher also acknowledged that he has gotten some help from some important friends in his racing career, especially from Cup Series driver David Ragan.

    “The whole Ragan family was really a huge help for me coming up,” Buescher said. “When I was thirteen years old and coming up to around fifteen years old racing Legend cars, Ken Ragan, David’s father, was doing the 600 Series and I got to know him.”

    “David was just getting his feet wet in a Roush truck. We got to be good friends and we saw how he was progressing. It got to the point where Ken felt that David was making it in his career and was moving forward. He told me if I could commit to moving out to North Carolina that he would help me do the same.”

    “Mom and Dad couldn’t move out to Charlotte. I have two little sisters at home and they are very involved in school and gymnastics. So, Ken said I should move in where David moved out and he would take care of me.”

    “So, with Ken, Beverly and Adam, they helped me get hooked up with Roush. I worked in David’s shop for a couple of years before I was able to work at Roush.”

    “I still talk to David a lot, especially when the 34 Cup deal came about. I was able to talk to him about that and run through what his thoughts were on it.”

    “It’s been a great relationship and I owe them everything.”

    Buescher has also found help from his crew chief, pit crew and race team as he gets set to tame Miles the Monster for the Dover race weekend.

    “The relationship has gotten a lot better with my team,” Buescher said. “It was never bad, but last year, everyone was new. Everybody had come from different teams and shops and organizations. It was kind of a mix and match crew.”

    “Everyone has worked really hard together and we’re getting to the point where everyone understands each other, knows their jobs and are doing them effectively and efficiently. It’s gone really well.”

    “Scott (Graves, crew chief) has done a great job this season,” Buescher continued. “He is kind of quiet like me and we work really well, keep quiet on the radio and get a lot done. At the end of last year, I felt like we finally found a bit of momentum.”

    “Unfortunately, Homestead was the last race and I didn’t want it to be the last one. So, we wanted to build off that momentum and we have done just that. We fired off really well and the team has done a nice job every week to make sure that we have fast Fords and that they stay together.”

    “Our pit crew has been doing an amazing job and ripping off great stops,” Buescher said. “They have been at least keeping us even or gaining every time we hit pit road. So, that’s been a huge part of it, making sure we don’t give up anything on pit road.”

    “And then when they gain in a time when track position is so important, that’s huge. So, we owe them some props as well.”

    So, what does the young racer think of the Monster Mile and what are his predictions for the upcoming XFINITY race?

    “This is one of those places that is like Darlington because you have to race the race track first,” Buescher said. “That’s something you have to keep in mind. You will race other guys as you get to them, but you always have to keep in mind that you are racing the track.”

    “The first race last year, we just about wrecked down the back stretch with me being too aggressive too early. That took a year or two off my life as close as that one was.”

    “It’s patience here at Dover but at the same time you have to be aggressive. You have to hit your spots early and the restarts are very important. The line you end up in for the restart will also be very important and maybe even more important than ever before.”

    “At the end of this race weekend, honestly I feel like we have a chance to win this race,” Buescher said. “This could easily be a top-five race for us. Our Bristol program, Iowa program were good and what we ran fourth with at the last Dover race were all good.”

    “I’ve no doubt we will be a contender but we will have to find ourselves at the race place at the right time.”

    Thanks to the help and support that he has received from family and friends, Buescher also has his eyes not only on a win at Dover but also on the ultimate prize.

    “We’ve been able to hang onto the points lead and we are making good progress toward a championship run,” Buescher said. “Our stuff has been good and for the most part, we’ve been in the hunt.”

    “The top fives have been racking up and as long as we can stay there, we can get wins,” Buescher continued. “It’s early to talk about points and I’m not particularly a points racer but I do realize the significance of it and how much it would mean to our team, to the Roush Fenway organization and to myself to win that championship.”

    “So, we are going to keep it in our mind for sure and hope to be there at the end.  We’re winning races, running really well and we know with that, everything else will come.”

     

  • Chris Buescher Wins in Thrilling Finish at Iowa Speedway

    Chris Buescher Wins in Thrilling Finish at Iowa Speedway

    By: Robert Gray

    NEWTON, Iowa — Chris Buescher and all but one driver battling at the front of the pack yearned for one last caution.

    The lone exception?

    Chase Elliott, who, fully fueled, had powered to a commanding lead and near-certain win in Sunday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series 3M 250 at Iowa Speedway.

    Two laps remained. Elliott’s trip to Victory Lane loomed. Then, it happened.

    Jamie Dick, running mid-pack, hit the wall and spun, drawing a caution flag.

    Buescher — his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford packed with fuel and four fresh tires — smiled, charging hard and low on the restart to cap a temper-tinged and thrill-filled race with a green-white-checkered triumph at the 7/8-mile short track.

    “When that happened, I knew we had an awesome shot at it,” said Buescher, who raced to the series standings lead by eight points over Ty Dillon, who finished 14th.

    Buescher had on-track help — namely from Roush Fenway teammate, Darrell Wallace Jr., who provided a strong nudge as the race went green.

    Maybe more than a nudge.

    “(He) gave us a heck of a shot on the restart,” said Buescher, who relegated Elliott to second while notching his first win of the season and Roush Fenway’s fifth in 11 XFINITY Series races at Iowa. “It was a hard hit. That was almost a crash. It was exactly what we needed to get going and get to the inside and be able to pull this win off.”

    Elliott took the runner-up finish in stride. He led 114 laps. His car ran fast all day long. The late-race pit strategy — partly because of minor right-side damage, he pitted on lap 177 while other leaders stayed out — nearly paid off.

    “That’s racing some days,” said Elliott, who like Buescher enjoys a series-leading five top-five finishes this season. “You make a decision — and I think it was a good one. We had some right-side damage and it was good to come in and make sure that was OK rather than to face the opposite of that, cutting down a tire and have a day like we did in Talladega. So I think it was the right move.”

    Erik Jones climbed from 35th to take third. Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney completed the top five.

    Jones started near the rear of the field because Drew Herring qualified the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota on the pole while Jones remained in Charlotte.

    By the Lap 60 competition caution, Jones had raced into the top 10, but couldn’t find enough speed in the ensuing laps to advance past third.

    “We worked ourselves into a good position,” Jones said. “A long day coming from the back.”

    Buescher — who raced outside the top 10 in both XFINITY Series Iowa races last season — merely needed to come from the second row.

    He’d reluctantly accepted the waning laps would mostly entail driving in “points mode,” as Dillon had pitted late after running in the top eight most of the day.

    “I hate points racing,” Buescher said. “I despise it. When that caution came out — watched it happen right in front of me — it was like, All right, this is it. This is what we need. We need to come in and get some tires and get back rolling here.’”

    That he did, right to the top, for now, at least.

    “This is big,” Buescher said.

    Black Flag: The race was marred by a temper-stoked wreck. Brennan Poole — who felt rival J.J. Yeley had struck him intentionally early in the race — spun Yeley out on lap 153. Yeley’s car sustained damage, but he was unharmed. Poole drew the black flag and told the Motorsports Racing Network, “It happens.” Yeley said the early-race encounter was unintentional and described his mood as “very furious.”

    “Hopefully NASCAR gets a hold of him before I do,” Yeley added.

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – 3M 250
    Iowa Speedway
    Newton, Iowa
    Sunday, May 17, 2015

    1. (4) Chris Buescher, Ford, 259, $91509.
    2. (6) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 259, $70020.
    3. (1) Erik Jones (i), Toyota, 259, $57688.
    4. (3) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 259, $40566.
    5. (13) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 259, $36811.
    6. (8) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 259, $33637.
    7. (14) Ben Rhodes, Chevrolet, 259, $32286.
    8. (5) Brandon Jones (i), Chevrolet, 259, $31236.
    9. (10) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 259, $30106.
    10. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 259, $30123.
    11. (7) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 259, $28617.
    12. (16) Ryan Reed, Ford, 259, $28062.
    13. (18) John Wes Townley (i), Chevrolet, 259, $27532.
    14. (9) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 258, $27003.
    15. (19) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 258, $26873.
    16. (20) David Starr, Toyota, 258, $26321.
    17. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 257, $26094.
    18. (2) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 257, $27042.
    19. (24) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 257, $25615.
    20. (25) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 257, $25888.
    21. (15) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 257, $25261.
    22. (23) Blake Koch, Toyota, 256, $25130.
    23. (40) Kenny Wallace, Toyota, 256, $18978.
    24. (29) Todd Bodine, Chevrolet, 255, $24828.
    25. (30) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, 255, $24852.
    26. (22) Boris Said, Toyota, 254, $24575.
    27. (31) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 253, $24449.
    28. (33) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, 252, $18298.
    29. (36) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 247, $18171.
    30. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 247, $18345.
    31. (39) John Jackson, Dodge, 247, $17889.
    32. (17) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, Accident, 215, $23778.
    33. (27) Eric McClure, Toyota, Accident, 160, $23662.
    34. (26) JJ Yeley, Toyota, Accident, 151, $23551.
    35. (32) Ryan Ellis (i), Toyota, Electrical, 99, $17436.
    36. (35) BJ McLeod (i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 68, $15678.
    37. (28) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, Suspension, 42, $14678.
    38. (12) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Parked, 39, $19678.
    39. (34) Charles Lewandoski, Toyota, Brakes, 4, $12678.
    40. (38) Carl Long, Toyota, Electrical, 0, $11678.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 94.242 mph.
    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 24 Mins, 17 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.523 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 9 for 54 laps.
    Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers.
    Lap Leaders: 0; D. Suarez # 1-48; C. Buescher 49-66; C. Elliott 67-144; C. Buescher 145-180; R. Blaney 181; C. Buescher 182-219; C. Elliott 220-255; R. Reed 256-257; C. Buescher 258-259.
    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): C. Elliott 2 times for 114 laps; C. Buescher 4 times for 94 laps; D. Suarez # 1 time for 48 laps; R. Reed 1 time for 2 laps; R. Blaney 1 time for 1 lap.
    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 368; T. Dillon – 360; C. Elliott – 337; D. Wallace Jr – 331; B. Scott – 326; R. Smith – 320; E. Sadler – 317; R. Reed – 288; B. Gaughan – 283; D. Suarez # – 281.

    nascar

  • Chris Buescher’s Mom Proud and Blessed

    Chris Buescher’s Mom Proud and Blessed

    With Mother’s Day weekend right around the corner, Chris Buescher’s mother Donna reflected on the exciting year that her son has had so far, running so well that he is in contention for the NASCAR XFINITY Series championship, as well as getting an opportunity to race with the best in the Sprint Cup Series.

    And if she could sum up her feelings in two words about her son, they would be blessed and proud.

    “It’s been phenomenal and we are extremely blessed,” Donna Buescher said. “I thank God every single day for his accomplishments, I seriously do. He has his talent first of all, but he has always seemed to be at the right place at the right time with the right people to help get him to where he’s at today.”

    Chris Buescher’s story is a bit unusual for sure as he does not come from a long line of racers and has no family racing pedigree.

    “We’re not a racing family,” Donna Buescher said. “We are just huge NASCAR fanatics. We always were watching on TV. His dad is a car buff and always was working on something in the garage. Chris has always been in the garage with him from the time he was little helping him work on the cars.”

    “Chris has been involved with racing his entire life. He started on dirt bikes and he has always been involved every weekend. That has been his passion ever since he was little.”

    Buescher admitted that her family has had to make some sacrifices along the way, but she is quick to say that every one of them has been absolutely worth it, from financial sacrifices to allowing Chris to pursue his dream and leave the family nest in Texas.

    “To some degree, we had to sacrifice,” Buescher said. “We were fortunate enough to get him started, up to the ARCA level. But if Mr. Roush hadn’t signed him then we would not have been able to go forward. We just could not have afforded it.”

    “We had to make some sacrifices on the weekend, especially for his two sisters. I worked every single weekend in real estate so I never had weekends off. The girls had to stay with sitters because my husband Jim would be at the races with Chris.”

    “The biggest sacrifice that we have had to make though is having Chris move away from home,” Buescher said. “My husband came home and showed me a report he had from his testing that week. They were comparing Chris to some other talented drivers and that was the biggest high of my life.”

    “And then he turned around and told me that the bad news was that he had to move to North Carolina to be where he needs to be. I just lost it. I started bawling.”

    “That was the best and worst day I guess. But, for the most part, we have been very fortunate and have not had to make the sacrifices that some racing families have had to do.”

    Donna Buescher said that there have been many rewards as a racer’s Mom along the way, including watching Chris grow and succeed through every phase. But there is one thing that she wishes a little more of for her son.

    “I’ve always felt like he should get a little more attention,” Buescher said. “I think any Mom feels that way. We always want our kid to be front and center. But it sometimes feels like as he has come through the ranks, he was not mentioned as much, maybe because he wasn’t from a racing family or didn’t have a lot of money in his background to help him through it.”

    “I felt like he was a bit overlooked, right or wrong. It’s the Mom thing I guess. But as I heard so and so being talked about I wanted to say, ‘What about my baby? What about Chris? He’s doing just as good as they are!”

    And while Mom Donna hopes that the attention continues to grow for her son, she also thinks there are a few other things that fans need to know about Chris Buescher.

    “I don’t think most people know, but he is extremely smart,” Buescher said. “Chris was always at the top of the class and in the 99 percentile with all of his grades.”

    “He was involved with the Duke program where they identify the higher achieving kids in seventh grade and he was surpassing ninth and tenth graders in the testing. He has always been extremely intelligent but he is so quiet that a lot of people don’t see that aspect of him.”

    And that quiet intelligence is what makes Chris Buescher such a good race car driver, at least from his Mom’s perspective. That smartness also gives her comfort when she sees cars go spinning or wrecking, like during last weekend’s race at Talladega.

    “I’m always nervous, but not in the sense of him getting hurt,” Buescher said. “That might sound strange, but I know the sport is so safety intensive. I do worry, but I know he is so smart.”

    “I go back and watch his races,” Buescher continued. “Every day, I watch at least one race. And when I see the accident coming, I’m really watching how he anticipates it.”

    “Every time there is a big one, like at Talladega, you can see how he anticipates it. He watches the drivers, sees what they are going to do and learns from them. So, he kind of has mastered how to avoid the accidents.”

    “He has had very few wrecked cars his whole entire racing career. I just went back and watched the Talladega race, three times actually, and I can always see him backing up. He may lose a few spots but he almost always avoids the big accidents.”

    “He’s so good at that.”

    Like many mothers, Donna Buescher is also dedicated to ensuring that her son stays humble and appreciates every opportunity that he has been given.

    “He has not so far let anything go to his head,” Buescher said of her son. “I’ve been telling him since he was little though that he better not get a big head or Mom would be stomping on him! I have no tolerance for people that don’t appreciate where they came from so I’m always warning him that Mom will be there to knock him down if he gets a big head. And he knows it is true!”

    So, how will Chris Buescher’s Mom be celebrating Mother’s Day?

    “Unfortunately, I won’t be at the track this weekend,” Donna Buescher said. “My daughter’s birthday is Friday and she will be seventeen. So, we will celebrate with her. And we have a nephew who has just moved to Austin and James Buescher’s mom is coming into town for the weekend. So, we will all be celebrating Mother’s Day together.”

    Although not at the track, Donna Buescher will be remembering all of the wonderful cards, breakfasts in bed and a beautiful outdoor swinging bench that her son has given her as special gifts along the way. And she will be celebrating in her own heart the success of her young up and coming racer.

    “I just cannot say how happy I am for Chris,” Donna Buescher said. “I’m so proud of him and proud of the man that he has become.”

    “In my eyes he is perfect. And I love him to death.”

  • Does Chris Buescher Have a Future at Front Row Motorsports?

    Does Chris Buescher Have a Future at Front Row Motorsports?

    Although he’s primarily a XFINITY driver for Roush-Fenway Racing, Chris Buescher has shown some promise in the five Sprint Cup starts he’s made in 2015. He finished 20th in his debut at Fontana, but in his next four races in the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford he had three top-25 finishes with a low point of 30th at Texas. Keeping that in mind, could Chris Buescher be the driver that FRM needs?

    The No. 34 FRM entry hasn’t been a competitive team save for restrictor plate races with David Ragan. Aside from a surprise win at Talladega in 2013, Ragan has fared worse at FRM than he ever did at Roush Fenway Racing. So considering Ragan’s departure from the No. 34 in 2015, the car has become somewhat of a development ride for younger drivers (with the exception of Joe Nemechek at Atlanta early this season), with Buescher normally sharing the seat with Brett Moffitt.

    So although Buescher is gunning for the XFIITY championship piloting the No. 60 for RFR, his Sprint Cup career may in fact benefit with a full-time spot with FRM in 2016 if they’re able to secure sponsorship for the No. 34. He’s matured a lot since the beginning of his rookie season in Xfinity competition in 2014. Despite failing to qualify at Daytona, he proceeded to score a win at Mid-Ohio and finished seventh in the final points.

    Photo Credit: Sarah Glenn/Getty Images
    Photo Credit: Sarah Glenn/Getty Images

    He’s not a flashy driver and he isn’t excessive. He’s shown he can take care of his equipment, but he may need to work on his qualifying results. Still, he’s been pretty impressive in his first five Sprint Cup starts. FRM would do well to keep a hold of him because for a team looking to improve, he could be that driver that would fit with them.

    He’s not going to stay in the XFINITY Series forever, and although RFR could do like Hendrick Motorsports and add a fourth Sprint Cup team, they’ve been steadily declining performance wise since the departure of Matt Kenseth following the 2012 season. If RFR put him behind the wheel of a Sprint Cup car we’d see something along the lines of what has befallen Trevor Bayne.

    Bayne had a decent XFINITY tenure that was similar to Buescher’s, but has struggled mightily in the Sprint Cup Series since taking over the No. 6 full-time. A lot of that can be attributed to the RFR equipment, and if Buescher is taking any notes he needs to really think if he wants to take the next step with RFR.

    Of course, FRM will need to adjust accordingly if they want to truly pursue a future with Buescher. He’s at the forefront of the new swarm of NASCAR stars and if anyone can turn around a team’s fortunes, it’s him. If they go through with it and solidify a deal, look for him to be one of the most productive rookies in recent memory.

  • The Final Word – With all the rain and challenges at Bristol, the only guy missing was Jeff Probst

    The Final Word – With all the rain and challenges at Bristol, the only guy missing was Jeff Probst

    Bristol. Just about the only thing missing was Jeff Probst and his Tribal Council as this turned into a game of survival. With the rains that delayed the start, the rains that stopped it again and again, the day race that ran into night became a reality show of its own.

    Take Kevin Harvick, for instance. He led 186 of the eventual 511 laps, but at Lap 310 he slid into a wrecked David Ragan and he found himself voted off the island in 38th place. If not Harv, then it was Kurt Busch in a dominant car. With eight to go, he took the brunt of it when Jeff Gordon got into Carl Edwards. Busch at least managed a 15th for his troubles.

    Then there was the case of Team Penske. You know you needed a hidden immunity idol when things go down the outdoor commode during the opening credits. Brad Keselowski wobbled and that allowed teammate Joey Logano to put out both their torches. Thirty-fifth and beyond was their fate.

    Do you want more examples? After the Penske wreck on the 19th lap, it rained some more. In that time, Denny Hamlin’s stiff neck got worse and when they restarted 18-year-old Erik Jones found himself racing a Cup car for the very first time, ending up 26th.

    How good was Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s car? We will never know, as a flat tire took him off the lead lap early, never to be seen again. At least he got 16th when it was all over. As for Austin Dillon, the extra laps before the final re-start ran him out of gas, but even with that he finished 10th.

    After a final caution, they needed a green-white-checker, but rain even delayed that, hence those extra caution laps before the fall of the final green. Matt Kenseth got a fine re-start to take a race he was not all that noticeable in, but the victory shows up just fine in the standings. After no wins last season, his 32nd career triumph had to be sweet no matter how he got it. Jimmie Johnson’s car did not look that pretty, but he came back to slip by Gordon for second while Jeff rebounded from a flat that had him down early to grab third. In short, these boys survived. Nobody thrived.

    Some folks play the game and slip in under the radar. Tony Stewart was sixth Sunday night, but that was a gift for to a guy who was 15th best at best. Danica Patrick was ninth. Another gift. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was fourth, the best gift of all. Despite that good fortune, Roush-Fenway entries are still coming up short. Trevor Bayne was 28th, Greg Biffle 30th.

    Ryan Newman, fifth at Bristol, got 25 points back from his appeal over Tiregate. He still is missing his crew chief and two other team members due to suspension, and Richard Childress will continue his quest for their early return with a further appeal.

    It meant jack squat to see Logano win the Saturday XFINITY race at Bristol. Having Daniel Suarez (23 year old from Mexico), Chris Buescher (22), Erik Jones (18), Ty Dillon (23) and Chase Elliott (19) take the next five spots meant everything.

    Sunday we had the day long 2015 Food City 500 In Support of Steve Byrnes. For the NASCAR family, the broadcaster and his fight against cancer, is what truly is meaningful. We have tallied the vote, the tribe has spoken, we want you back just as soon as you are able, Steve.

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Auto Club 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Auto Club 400

    For the finale of NASCAR’s west coast swing, here is what was surprising and not surprising from Fontana’s 19th annual Auto Club 400.

    Surprising: Never have debris cautions and uncontrolled tires combined to play such important roles in a Cup race, with a total of five and six respectively. The late debris caution was especially important to the race finish, allowing Brad Keselowski to power past Kurt Busch, who had led 65 laps of the race, until that last one.

    “It looked like we were probably going to finish sixth or seventh,” the driver of the No. 2 Wurth Ford said. “That yellow came out. We came in and pitted and drove up a little bit, then caught another yellow.”

    “So Paul (Wolfe, crew chief) made the call to come down pit road and put four tires on. We were able to find our way through the lanes and get to the front there, somehow end up in Victory Lane leading the last lap.”

    “Kind of a racecar driver’s dream,” Keselowski said. “This is one we’re going to sit back and go ‘wow’ for a while.”

    And while the race winner was wowed by his finish after the yellow flag for debris, Denny Hamlin, who had been running well in his No. 11 Sports Clip Toyota, was understandably devastated by his uncontrolled tire penalty, causing him a disappointing 28th place finish.

    Hamlin was just one of five other drivers who were hit with the uncontrolled tire penalty.

    “I got shuffled back beyond the top-10 and worked our way back to the top-five and then the top-three and then had a penalty,” Hamlin said. “You just can’t come back from that. There ain’t nobody in the field with a fast enough car to come back from any penalties.”

    “We had one at the inopportune time and it just led to a bad finish.”

    Not Surprising:  Chevrolet drivers Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. have a new bond, with both achieving five straight top 10 finishes in the 2015 season.

    “Just really proud of everybody on my team,” Harvick said after finishing runner up in his No. 4 Jimmy John’s/Budweiser Chevrolet “A great race and fun to be part of it.”

    “To come away with an eighth-place finish really says something about this team,” Truex Jr., driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet said. “We never give up and believe in each other. It’s been a great start for our Furniture Row team with five straight top 10s. We just need to keep it going and try to improve each week.”

    Surprising: For a team that was killing it in the pits most of the race, so much so that they got their driver to the lead, it was surprising that one mistake on pit road cost them a good finish. Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. Dewalt Toyota Camry, went from leading the race to a broken axle and a 31st place finish.

    “We didn’t have the fastest car on the long run, but we were fast enough to go up there and battle with them and we had been making it better all day, which is all you can ask for,” Jason Ratcliff, Kenseth’s crew chief said. “I think we were one of the few that was good on fuel, so I would have liked to have seen it go green at that point to see if we could make it and maybe get us a victory here today, but even when the caution came out and we came in on pit road first I was very confident that our pit crew would get us out.”

    “It’s just unfortunate that the axle broke like that. We rarely have any problems like that, but occasionally it happens. Unfortunately, it happens when you’re leading.”

    Not Surprising: Although Dale Jr. did not win, he had a fun day nonetheless, getting his picture made with Dwight Yoakum and apparently even getting to sing together and shake hands according to his Twitter feed.

    And yet even with all that excitement, the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet managed to top it all off with a sixth place finish to boot.

    “We had a great day, lot of fun, fun racetrack, awesome crowd we had here,” Earnhardt said. “We’re just glad to be able to rebound. Last week was very dismal, disappointing and frustrating. So, again, glad to be able to come here, run good, run strong.”

    “Everything else was good.”

    Surprising: Chris Buescher made the most of his first Cup start opportunity in the No. 34 Dockside Logistics Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports with a surprising 20th place finish.

    “It was a lot of fun,” Buescher said. “I can’t thank Front Row Motorsports enough to give me this opportunity and for Roush Fenway Racing to allow me to go do it.”

    “It’s the kind of race track I wanted to make my Cup debut at – some place that the pace falls off, the tires wear down and you’re able to really hustle it and race late into a run and this was just that.”

    “We completed the race, finished on the lead lap and got a top 20 out of it. I’m ecstatic about that.”

    Not Surprising: Although both members of Team Penske are now officially in the Chase, Joey Logano wants to see even more aggression from both himself and his teammate and victor Brad Keselowski.

    “It’s nice that we’re both in the Chase,” Logano said. “We can both race aggressive now and obviously he raced aggressively anyway.”

    “It’s nice for both of us to have a win already and it’s great to see Team Penske still having speed and we’re just racing hard and doing everything we can to keep up with these guys. The other cars are a little bit faster than us right now. We’ve got to find some more speed, but we’re racing really hard and that’s what we’ve got to do.”

    Surprising: At least one driver, who was the highest finishing Toyota driver, just wanted to get home to watch the replay of all those crazy restarts.

    “Restarts were insane, this is one I’ll go home and watch the replay,” Carl Edwards said after finishing 23th in his No. 19 Subway Toyota Camry. “It was just crazy.”

    “If they could take this pavement and map this and put this at every race track, it would be spectacular.”

    Not Surprising: Greg Biffle’s words about his Roush Fenway team “dying a slow death” proved prophetic as he finished 32d. Biffle took the wave around later in the race to get back on the lead lap but contact with another car on the final lap sent him spinning to another poor finish in his No. 16 Clean Harbors Ford.

    Surprising: Tony Stewart finished in the same position number as his car number, 14 that is. And surprisingly, that was the best finish to date for the driver of the No. 14 Rush Truck Centers/Mobil 1 Chevrolet.

    “Yeah I mean I’m happy, we are gaining on it,” Smoke said. “We were getting to where we were sniffing the edge of the top 10 anyway all day.”

    “We are gaining on it a little chunk at a time. We didn’t need to get it all today, but this is a big gain for us.”

    Not Surprising: With the exception of the Ford at the front, the rest of the top 5 finishers at Fontana were Chevrolets, including Paul Menard, who scored his best finish of the season, and Ryan Newman, who continued his string of good runs, finishing fifth.

    “Oh, it was fun,” Menard said. “I really like this track. It’s all worn out and has a lot of grip and then it falls off in a hurry.” Really proud of my guys, they busted their tails this weekend and got a good finish to show for it.”

    “Luke (Lambert, crew chief) did an awesome job and everybody, the guys especially in the pits,” Newman said. “A hard fought day today but good strategy there at the end, got a couple of breaks with a couple of restarts there.”

    “Good day for us overall.”

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will finally leave the West and return to the East coast to race at Martinsville Speedway for the STP 500 next weekend.

  • Kyle Busch Scores a Nationwide Fiver at the Monster Mile

    Kyle Busch Scores a Nationwide Fiver at the Monster Mile

    Kyle Busch behind the wheel of the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, scored his fifth Nationwide season win to take the 29th Annual Dover 200 at the Monster Mile. And with that fiver, he also broke a tie with Joey Logano to become the all-time win leader at Dover.

    “Our day was really good,” Busch said. “We were a little skeptical of it yesterday but the guys did a good job of making adjustments for today.”

    “From the start of the green flag, we had a good race,” Busch continued. “I was biding my time early and we missed that first wreck. We were able to pit, get out front and set sail from there.”

    “It was nice to put together a good run and hopefully carry that into tomorrow.”

    Joey Logano, who led laps early in the race, finished second in his No. 22 Hertz Ford. This was his ninth top-10 finish at Dover and his eighth top-10 finish for the season.

    “The first half of the race went perfect and we were able to go out there and lead a lot of laps and be very, very fast,” Logano said. “But as the race went, we put four tires on and lost the lead. Our car was really tight from there on out. I’m not really sure what happened but we will try to figure it out.”

    “We just stayed tight there the last run,” Logano continued. “Overall, it’s second but we come here and expect to win. We began the race well but we lost the handle.”

    Chase Elliott, in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, finished third and also was the highest finishing rookie. Elliott did, however have his share of adversity, getting into a wreck early and suffering some damage that hindered his progress forward.

    “I’m proud and frustrated at the same time,” Elliott said. “We had a super-fast car from the get-go.”

    “We were just biding our time that first run,” Elliott continued. “I made a mistake following those guys way too closely and that was completely my fault. I drove ourselves into a wreck and then we couldn’t get back up to the front.”

    “We had a really good car from the drop of the green and the guys did a fantastic job getting it taped back up in a way that the fender wasn’t going to fly apart on us.”

    “We tried to battle as hard as we could but it just wasn’t enough.”

    Chris Buescher, driving the No. 60 Roush Performance Parts Ford, finished fourth as the second highest finishing rookie.

    “That was a lot of fun,” Buescher said. “We were really good on pit road and nice and consistent. Every week you have to get better and our consistency has been there. This is our best finish since Mid-Ohio.”

    Elliott Sadler, behind the wheel of the No. 11 SportClips Toyota, rounded out the top five, a position that he had not been in for quite some time.

    “It’s been too long for this race team,” Sadler said. “We made a lot of adjustments today. Top five at Dover is the best we’ve ran here.”

    Kyle Larson overcame two penalties, one for leaving the pit box with equipment and the other for speeding, came back to finish sixth in his No. 42 Cartwheel by Target Chevrolet.

    Another driver that had a world of trouble was Brendan Gaughan. The driver of the No. 62 South Point Chevrolet had a rear suspension issue, sending him to the garage and putting him nine laps down to finish 28th.

    With his third place finish, Chase Elliott maintained his lead in the championship point standings, now 26 points ahead of teammate Regan Smith.

    The full Nationwide Series results for the Dover 200 are as follows:

    1. Kyle Busch
    2. Joey Logano
    3. Chase Elliott
    4. Chris Buescher
    5. Elliott Sadler
    6. Kyle Larson
    7. Brian Scott
    8. Regan Smith
    9. Trevor Bayne
    10. Ty Dillon
    11. Cale Conley
    12. Justin Boston
    13. Aric Almirola
    14. Ryan Sieg
    15. James Buescher
    16. Landon Cassill
    17. Dakoda Armstrong
    18. Jeremy Clements
    19. Alex Bowman
    20. Jeffrey Earnhardt
    21. Dylan Kwasniewski
    22. JJ Yeley
    23. Blake Koch
    24. Ryan Reed
    25. Timmy Hill
    26. Jeff Green
    27. Joey Gase
    28. Brendan Gaughan
    29. Mike Bliss
    30. Matt DiBenedetto
    31. Kevin Lepage
    32. Carl Long
    33. Kevin Swindell
    34. Tanner Berryhill
    35. Morgan Shepherd
    36. Harrison Rhodes
    37. Derrike Cope
    38. Jamie Dick
    39. Mike Harmon
    40. Ryan Ellis
  • Chad Hackenbracht First Time ARCA Series Winner At Pocono

    Chad Hackenbracht First Time ARCA Series Winner At Pocono

    [media-credit name=”Gary Buchanan” align=”alignright” width=”184″][/media-credit]Chad Hackenbracht, driver of the No. 58 CGH Motorsports Chevrolet, became the second first time winner of the day at Pocono Raceway, scoring his first ever ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards win.

    Hackenbracht used some ‘Tricky Triangle’ strategy to claim victory in the Pennsylvania ARCA 125, his first win in 42 career starts.

    “I’m not sure what to think,” Hackenbracht said. “My parents weren’t able to make it to this race so I’m not sure if we’ll let them come to any others.”

    “Those last ten laps, I was just waiting for the caution,” Hackenbracht continued. “But finally it all played to our advantage and we finally got the monkey off our backs.”

    “I can’t thank everybody enough.”

    Brennan Poole, pole sitter and driver of the No. 25 Cometic Gasket/Midas-Venturini Motorsports Toyota, was runner up to Hackenbracht.

    “Well, we just couldn’t take a chance in pitting that early and not being able to run all 50 laps,” Poole said. “We didn’t have a caution at the end and Chad’s strategy paid off for him.”

    “We were close, but came up a little short on fuel strategy.”

    Poole did, however, secure the points lead and is ahead of the field by 15 points. And he is looking forward to the rest of the season, at tracks where he has been good before.

    “We’re going to a few great tracks for me so I’m looking forward to that,” Poole said. “I just have great people around me.”

    “The Venturini Motorsports is a family and it’s a blessing to be able to work with them,” Poole continued. “I’ve had some of the most fun racing than I ever have this year.”

    Alex Bowman, behind the wheel of the No. 22 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Dodge, came in third.

    “It’s definitely frustrating with as good as we were in practice,” Bowman said. “We just came up a little bit short.”

    “We got tight and fell back to 3rd or 4th,” Bowman continued. “We made up ground on the green flag pit stop but got beat on strategy.”

    Frank Kimmel, driving the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Toyota, finished fourth and fifth place went to Chris Buescher in the No. 17 Reliance Tool-BeavEx Ford.