After blowing a tire with 35 to go, Chris Buescher and the No. 17 SUNNYD team bounced back late to take the checkered flag 17th at Phoenix Raceway.
Buescher rolled off the grid 23rd and stayed steady at that position with reports of a tight Ford Mustang early on. The team pitted with a caution at lap 57 for four tires and fuel and returned to the track. After staying out on the ensuing caution to gain track position, Buescher took the stage flag 17th.
At the stage break, Buescher reported that his machine was a little free on entry and the team took four tires and fuel. The driver restarted 19th and stayed consistently between 20th and 25th until damage from another car caused concern for tire rub. The team pitted to try to adjust air pressure and assess the damage. An unrelated caution with two to go, resulted in Buescher finishing stage two 22nd.
The No. 17 team went to work for the final stage in Phoenix with many adjustments in the first few pit stops. The team toggled between 20th and 25th until a caution with 54 laps to go allowed them to gain more track position and restart seventh. Unfortunately, old tires shuffled Buescher back to 16th, where he blew a tire and made contact with the wall. The team pitted several times to assess the damage and settled back on track for the restart 23rd with 24 laps to go in the race. Another caution at lap 300 allowed the team to pit for fresh tires and no fuel. Buescher returned to the track and gained four spots after a wreck at lap 310 to finish 17th at the checkered flag.
The No. 17 team returns to the track next Sunday, March 15 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Race coverage can be heard on FOX at 2 p.m. EST.
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