A top-five finish in Atlanta pushes Buescher into the points lead

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In: Xfinity Series News

Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher moved into first place in the NASCAR XFINITY Series point standings after a fourth-place finish in his Fastenal Ford Mustang in Saturday afternoon’s 250-mile race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 

“This has been a great way to start our season,” said Buescher.  “I’m so proud of these 60 guys.  We’ve got a lot more to prove this year, but it’s been a really good start.  Daytona was much better than last year and we’ve made pretty big progress at Atlanta.  I’m looking forward to our west coast swing.” 

After earning an 18th-place starting position during Saturday morning’s qualifying session, Buescher quickly maneuvered his Fastenal Ford Mustang through traffic, breaking into the top-10 by Lap 17.  The Prosper, Texas native was happy with the handling of his car, telling the team that it was a bit snug in traffic, but overall very driveable.

On Lap 49 Buescher hit pit road under green flag conditions for four tires, fuel and a slight track bar adjustment.  When he returned to the track, his Mustang was still a little bit too tight to work through traffic, as the cars continued to lay rubber down on the racing surface.

When the team visited pit road for the second stop of the day, crew chief Scott Graves opted for four tires, fuel and another track bar adjustment.  Buescher restarted in sixth and immediately settled back into the top-five.

With less than 30 laps remaining, the team visited pit road for the final time of the day, opting for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment.  Buescher lined up fifth for the final restart.  The young driver maintained his ground, and patiently worked his way forward.  With eight laps remaining, Buescher passed Paul Menard, moving into fourth.  Buescher closed out the day in fourth, moving into first-place in the point standings, sharing the lead with Ty Dillon.

“That was a lot of fun,” said Buescher.  “It was very close competition, but I’m just so proud of my guys.  We went through a lot last year and between missing Daytona and coming back this year to finish second and getting our Fastenal Ford Mustang in the top-five this week is pretty awesome.  It’s shaping up to be a really good season, so I’m looking forward to it.”

RFR PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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