NASCAR’s visit to ‘The Glen’ was an exciting race for everyone. However, for the road course master, Shane van Gisbergen, it was an absolute disaster, a tragedy even. After being snatched off an Xfinity series win by the debutant Connor Zilisch, SVG’s last-lap lead was cut down by Chris Buescher at Go Bowling At The Glen. In the post-race press conference, when talking about the final lap overtime shootout, Chris Buescher revealed the happy truth that lies behind SVG’s post-race conversation with the Watkins Glen winner.

Chris Buescher confronts the unfortunate reality of motorsport

“There is no friendship out there, Niki Lauda, the 3-time F1 champion and former Mercedes chairman, once said when asked about making friends out of rivals. Racing is a tough line of business to be in, leaving a lone road to the top of the victory lane. Yet, in rare instances, fans of NASCAR come to doubt this as drivers drop a masterclass, not on track but what comes after.

That was what Shane van Gisbergen did after a gut-wrenching defeat in the final lap of the race. When asked about what happened with SVG after the race, Buescher opened up on a kind gesture from the young driver. Despite the brutal clash of the final overtime lap, SVG kept a cool head and congratulated Chris Buescher.

“I think that’s the one guy out here who’s bigger than me, so uh, if there’s that moment where I feel like he is mad coming over. I better take note, right? Just on the flip side I’m sure, uh, I’m sure some others don’t like seeing me, so I appreciate him coming over and saying a good race. I did feel like it was a really good race. We got after each other hard, but ultimately there was nothing crazy in those last couple of laps, just good, hard racing,” said the driver of the #17 Ford.

Chris Buescher referred to the chaotic end fans saw at the end of Watkins Glen. As some might remember, Buescher wasn’t even in the lead going into the final lap of overtime. Buscher went just wide in Turn 1 and SVG sniffed the possibility of a win, surging ahead. However, SVG’s repeated unforced errors opened the door for the #17 Ford, setting up an epic chase for the win. It came to a head at the bus stop, Chicane.

Buescher, with inches of distance between him and his rival, made up a lot of ground. Sparks flew between the cars, and the #17 Ford went down the inside, and there was no going back. It was another victory for a Ford car in the last 2 races. Buescher reveals that there was only respect and “hard racing.”

“I didn’t think anything was dirty in the end, you know? Out there, it was a little push-and-shove on both sides. Ultimately, he made a big error there at the bus stop and we just took advantage of it, we had to be really aggressive to get to the hole. I didn’t feel like there was anything that was dirty about it. I didn’t expect him coming over to be mad about anything,” Chris Buescher added.

While he secured a win amidst the playoff fight, he became a playoff spoiler for the second time after 2023. leaving top drivers in tough spots.

Toyotas are still on the brink of eviction

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Two races into the playoffs and the big names on the grid don’t have a guaranteed spot in the round of 12. Amidst Chris Buescher’s last-moment win, former NASCAR Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. and his teammate Denny Hamlin suffered at Watkins Glen.

While Martin Truex Jr. kicked off the race in a positive way with a top spot in the first stage, he fell off in the rest of the race. At the moment, he stands in the elimination zone, with -14 points. The most realistic chance for him is to go for the win in the remaining races.

Joining him in the probable elimination zone is the #11 car of Denny Hamlin. Hamlin has it much worse than Truex Jr., not because of the lower points deficit, but unfortunate events that ruin races. At Watkins Glen, he picked up a big chunk of damage on the right fender in lap 1. While the wreck at the bus stop spared Hamlin, the rest of the race did not fare any better.

Despite the crew working on Hamlin’s car, his race ended in the final stage. Out of the first corner, the sandwiched #6 Ford of Brad Keselowski put the #11 Toyota right into the wall. From there, it was pretty much the end of Denny Hamlin’s race, putting him in a precarious place. He is set to compete for the spots in the round of 12, as he sits right below the cut line with -6 points.

However, Chris Buescher, on the other hand, while out of the playoffs, revels in the glory of a victory at ‘The Glen‘.