“We came here to be spoilers, and we’re going to do that.” After narrowly missing the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, Chris Buescher was heartbroken. Yet, he gathered his senses quickly enough to become a dangerous threat to playoff drivers. The No. 17 Ford team came thundering back to Victory Lane after a year-long gap on Sunday. But it did not come easily, as Buescher’s crew chief said.

The RFK Racing driver faced several obstacles on his path. They ranged from the tricky turns of Watkins Glen to arguably the best road course racer in NASCAR. Yet, Buescher was determined to bring glory to his team again, despite the difficult roads he traversed earlier.

Chris Buescher’s victory was not easy

Two weeks ago, emotions were damp on one side of the RFK Racing team. While Brad Keselowski cracked into the playoffs with his Darlington victory, Chris Buescher wallowed in misery. After fighting with Bubba Wallace for the final playoff spot, Chase Briscoe surprised them with a win.

Yet, the No. 17 team kept working hard, as Buescher was determined to be a thorn in the playoff drivers’ side. In the process, he even scripted a personal milestone—he secured his first road course win at Watkins Glen.

The 2.4-mile track had a more fierce look—bumps were added, and the “bus stop” corner was raised to a spike. The heavy braking zones and multiple tricky turns were also challenges, all of which Chris Buescher overcame. So, his crew chief Scott Graves said his indomitable spirit ultimately broke the No. 17’s winless streak. “I love it. I mean, that’s the level and the determination that we’re looking for. You know, tenacity to not give up. It’s so hard in these races because you think you’ve got it. You got a four-and-a-half second lead and it’s like alright, this is gonna be easy. And then the cautions come out. Then it’s another caution and another caution.”

Before the 2024 Go Bowling at the Glen, Chris Buescher could not score better than 7th at the tricky road course. This time, while the cream of the field crashed out, he drove his car from 24th to 1st place. That made Graves even more proud. “These things aren’t easy to win. I know people always say like, just go out and win the race! It’s not that easy right? We’ve been there several times and it’s not that easy. So for him to go out and do what he did…and just make sure that he got the win…I’m proud of him.”

Not only did Chris Buescher tackle a difficult track, but also a difficult rival. None other than Shane van Gisbergen threatened him—but in vain.

Buescher neutralized a solid threat

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Ever since Shane van Gisbergen entered the NASCAR scene, he has shown what he is made of. That is pure steel when it comes to road courses. The Kiwi Speedster won the Chicago Street Race on his NASCAR debut. This year, he swept up three Xfinity victories on road courses—Portland, Sonoma, and of course, Chicago. Watkins Glen also expected to witness another magical Gisbergen victory, and the closing laps almost sealed it. However, Chris Buescher did not let go as he dove to the inside of Turn 5 and bumped Gisbergen’s No. 16 Chevy. He held him off long enough to claim the victory.

So, Scott Graves was brimming with joy as Buescher overcame his rivals one by one—topped off by Gisbergen’s final boss act. “Throughout the whole race, we were able to work our way forward. Just you know, the strategy side of it. And obviously, the Chase guys going for the points – that kind of helped us get the position. But I knew we had a really good car from practice. Once we got up there…I think it was about the point that he passed the No. 34, we were like, alright. We know we have something here…He passed 34 and then he went and got the 1. And then he went and got the 16 and I was like, alright!”

Buescher’s indomitable spirit truly shone at Watkins Glen. As he became the first spoiler in playoff drivers’ championship pursuit, who knows what surprise Bristol lays in store for us?