The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs have seen some of the most competitive racing action in recent times, consistently showcasing fine margins among contenders. Winning a race will obviously guarantee qualification, but it is also important to keep up on points. Even if three different playoff drivers win in the round of 8, one will have to rely on points. In that context, for Brad Keselowski, chances have started looking a little bleak after Las Vegas.

The first race in the round of 8 saw Hendrick Motorsports’ title Kyle Larson take victory and seal his place in the finale. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell came in P2. The fact that he was so inconsolable even after that result just goes to show how competitive things are. So as far as Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing goes, they have a mountain to climb in the next couple of races.

Former Cup Series driver paints a gloomy picture for Brad Keselowski

Under Brad Keselowski, 2023 has been a year of transformation for RFK Racing. They were never even considered to be challenging for race wins. By the end of the regular season, they had won two back-to-back races in Richmond and Michigan, and the regular-season finale at Daytona. The man behind the wheel on all those occasions was Chris Buescher.

The driver of the #17 was never really considered a title favorite but he finds himself in the penultimate round of the Cup Series. But his time in the playoffs may be coming to an end after Las Vegas. Chris Buescher did not have a terrible day in Vegas. A P11 finish is never considered terrible, but it is not good enough at a stage like this.

According to former racer and NASCAR analyst Jeff Burton, Chris Buescher has dug himself a hole. Drivers like Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Martin Truex Jr are still looking to make their way into the last four. It will not be an easy next couple of races for the RFK Racing man.

“Mission accomplished by all, by not digging a hole but in not performing, Buescher has dug a hole. Like unless he goes out and just has an incredible next two weeks. He’s at a point, or other people have issues, he’s dug himself a hole. And because it is so competitive. Like do you think Christopher Bell, Truex, Hamlin, Byron, Larson, Reddick at Homestead, you think they’re gonna go run 15th? I don’t,” Jeff Burton said.

“I think they are all going to get stage points, I think they are all going to run well, now somebody may make a mistake, somebody might break, somebody might hit the wall, it is Homestead. But they’re going to run well, right? And Buescher just didn’t. He didn’t run terrible but he didn’t run well enough,” he added.

Chris Buescher finds himself 23 points behind the cutline with just a couple of races to go before the championship decider. It’s like Jeff Burton said, the RFK Racing man needs to have two incredible weekends. The driver of the #17 understands the task that lies ahead.

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RFK Racing’s title hopeful has his “work cut out”

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In the post-race interview at Vegas, Chris Buescher discussed why he couldn’t make up places as much as he might have wanted to. Turns out it was just an unlucky day for RFK Racing as things did not exactly go their way.

“We got shuffled back a little bit in some dirty air and it was a struggle back there for a little bit. We got back going and needed some longer runs and green flag cycles to sort it out and we didn’t get it that way. We were able to make some decent work out of it and get a pretty decent finish out of the day,” Chris Buescher said as per motorsport.com.

“We lost a lot of spots and trying to get them back was just tough on the day. We’ve got our work cut out for us now,” the RFK Racing star added.

It seems highly unlikely but so did Chris Buescher winning three races this season. Can the 30-year-old find some of that blistering form back and shock the world? Only time will tell.

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