Who could’ve imagined that RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher would be leading the field at the Cookout Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium? Whenever the RFK Racing hauler made the trip to LA Memorial Coliseum in 2023, they were made to watch the race from the stands. The 2024 outing was a bit better with Brad Keselowski making the starting lineup with weather turning foul. But the No. 17 team, led by Chris Buescher, just couldn’t turn a corner for good on the quarter-mile flat oval track.

However, they seemed to have cracked the code by nailing the setups on their race cars on the third attempt at the Bowman Gray. Not only did all three RFK Racing cars make the cut for the main events, but Chris Buescher will be starting the race on the front row alongside Chase Elliott. Now, starting a race on a quarter mile from the front is ideally the best position. Despite having this edge, Buescher knows all it takes is one bump and run that can spoil his entire event.

Chris Buescher isn’t celebrating his heat race win

If we are to go by the heat races that made up the field for the main event, it’s fair to say a lot of tempers and bumpers will fly during the main event. We saw John Hunter Nemechek bumped into the fence by Ryan Preece. Kyle Busch made his feelings clear by putting his front bumper to the rear of Justin Haley’s ride. Moreover, drivers tested each other’s patience by throwing a three-wide move going into the tight corners.

It’s fair to say that the Madhouse is going to deliver more than just bump and runs and paint trading. And this is something Chris Buescher is trying to avoid, starting the 200-lap main event from the front. “We’re gonna in the be back of the field, 15 miles maybe less. I think you’re always going to be in traffic of some sort and just having that little bit of gap behind you, hopefully, you gotta hang on to that to get going. But if you can have just a little bit of breathing room, that’ll put you in a better spot where you’re not just pinballed around.” Buescher said to Bob Pockrass.

Although the heat races turned out good for the RFK Racing driver, his start to the weekend was nowhere near perfect. Through the first practice run, the No. 17 Ford sat 30th on the speed charts, and the team was forced to make adjustments quickly. Buescher certainly came prepared for his quarter-mile challenge and wanted to make amends from his last few trips to Clash races.

“We ran a lot of simulations leading up to this. We don’t typically do a ton of preliminary work from me as a driver in the simulator. It’s typically a lot more after races, but given my track record at the quarter miles, I figured better bite off into that one.” Buscher added. Although most of the star drivers were able to advance to the main event, some big names will have to go through the tough last-chance qualifier.

Kyle Larson will have to fight tooth and nail to make the 23-car field for the Clash

Out of the 39 entries, only 23 will get the opportunity to compete for the Bobby Allison Memorial trophy on Sunday night. Although the fans in the grandstands and those watching from home enjoyed some good beating and banging, the heat races weren’t good at all for the No. 5 HMS team. Kyle Larson looked out of sorts during his heat races and struggled to make any forward passes.

He couldn’t finish in the top places and had to wait to see if he made it through using the points provisional. Unfortunately, Ryan Blaney from Team Penske is currently holding that spot as he finished runner-up last year. Now the only way through which Larson can enter the Clash is through the Last Chance Qualifiers. Both Blaney and Larson will be fighting it out in the LCQ, but Blaney at least has the insurance if his LCQ race goes south.

Other prominent names that are going to compete in LCQ are Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon, Ty Gibbs, Michael McDowell, AJ Allmendinger, John Hunter Nemechek, and Cole Custer. Who do you think will grab the last two spots?