Chris Buescher Drops ‘Ugly’ Verdict on Top-10 Atlanta Run as He Reminisces “Indy Fire” Fiasco

“Not real thrilled with that,” said the 2023 Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner Chris Buescher after his tangle with fellow Ford driver and Team Penske racer, Joey Logano. Despite starting third, the #17 driver could manage only a 9th-place finish in the chaotic caution-riddled race that saw 48 lead changes in the 260-lap picture.

While Logano admitted his mistake of throwing in an aggressive block on the #17 at the end of stage 2, Buescher voiced his displeasure in the post-race interview. Venting out his frustration, Buescher put out a tweet, revealing his thoughts about Atlanta, drawing a comparison with his fiery Indianapolis run two years ago.

Coming to the end of Stage 2, battling for position, Joey Logano threw a late block on Chris Buescher, a critical error that ended up causing a wreck. The two-time NASCAR champion admittedly made a bad move. Buescher was coming around on the outside and Joey Logano went up the track, and he kept going. Buescher went right into Logano, who hit the wall. Denny Hamlin was the innocent victim in the tangle as he raced into the back of Buescher.

Following the race, the driver did not hesitate to express his emotions. Consequently, a day after the race, the #17 driver reminiscent of his fiery top-10 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway drew a comment, essentially saying that the Atlanta finish was his ugliest race finish after the Indy stint. Retweeting to RFK Racing‘s post on “X,” the driver noted, “Probably the ugliest top 10 finish we’ve had since the Indy fire two years ago.” 

“We were up there on the top had been up there a handful of laps, was rolling good. We were just there and there wasn’t space and ended up wiping us out. So, yeah it just, I guess it’s a judgment call when it’s close like that,” said the driver in his post-race interview.

Revisiting Buescher’s Indy fire escape

Two years ago, Chris Buescher notched one of the most impressive feats in NASCAR. The driver surviving a vicious fire in stage 1, came back right around to snag a commendable top-10 finish. Buescher did not look like a driver who finished inside the top 10 on the Indy road course as he sat on the pit wall afterward.

He had a cool towel to clean the dripping sweat from his face after a long hot day around the 14-turn course while his fire suit was covered in the remnants of the fire extinguisher that had to put out the fire in his No. 17 Ford in the first stage after a contact with Bubba Wallace crushed the essential parts of his car and started a fire.

“[I] wasn’t giving up. This team gave me way too good of a race car today to let somebody’s stupidity take us out that early,” said the driver to RACER.com, showing off his resilience as he breathed some fresh air after his fiery encounter. “I got wiped out by [Wallace] in Turn 1, KO’d the exhaust and rocker box, and the car caught on fire for our first pit stop and had to battle back,” he added.

But even a nasty fire couldn’t stop the driver, even when his eyes were burning, and the smoke suffocating him, the Prosper native put on a show of resilience and bravery to survive the negative odds, making a name for himself, getting into the hearts of ardent fans.

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