Exclusive: Despite Fading Playoff Hopes, Chris Buescher Trashes NASCAR Rivals’ ‘Points for Racing’ Mindset

Chris Buescher finds himself in a tight spot with the playoffs fast approaching. Yet, the 31-year-old remains optimistic as he gears up for the Great American Gateway 400. Speaking exclusively to EssentiallySports at Pocono Raceway, Buescher shared his commanding insights on how the points system shakes out.

At the end of the day, wins trump points when it comes to the playoffs. Unfortunately, Buescher’s currently not near the cut line for playoff qualification. With just eight races left on the calendar, he laid out his game plan and the challenges ahead in his chat with Bharat Aggarwal from our on-ground team at Pocono.

While his partner has clinched a playoff berth, Chris Buescher is yet to bring the good news to RFK Racing, hopefully in Pocono. Well, it is crunch time, and Chris has quite some weight when it comes to points. But then again, a win is a must to qualify at this point, and that’s what he looks forward to.

When our NASCAR reporter Bharat asked about how he and Brad Keselowski team up in order to help him gain playoff points, Chris Buescher revealed, “It’s not what I like to do. I don’t like points for racing in general. I wanna figure out, how to go the racetrack and win a race and whatever that takes and you know that the points come with that. So I want to try our best to say we know what this is gonna take to get in and that’s a race win. So let’s figure out how to put the rest of it, you know.. beside us as much as possible.”

Further adding on what is going to be his motivation for the season as he sits at 13th in the standings, the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver exclusively told EssentiallySports, “Be smart in certain situations right, there’s a risk versus reward that we have to be aware of. But certainly, just knowing that we feel like it’s gonna take a win, we need to work hard to make that happen.”

Not favoring the point system in racing at all can be seen as a mentality going forward in the long run. Now, of course, points matter, but not without a win. Considering Buescher’s current position, it is best to neglect the points on board and try hard for a win. However, while he still remains in the playoff picture (based on the standings), Buescher has shown his willingness to not rely on points.

Now, leveraging the same to be in the qualifying conversation while going for the win would be optimal for No. 17. Yes, Chris Buescher did bag three wins last year and a single back in 2022 for RFK. But with a rough patch this season, there is still hope from Buescher.

The Gateway 400 might be a game-changer for Chris Buescher

Chris Buescher has had some close ones this season. At Kansas, Darlington, and a few more, the No. 17 was pretty close to a win that feels like much-needed currency at present. In short, Buescher will have to pull yet another one of these runs at Pocono Raceway, but this time, winning it all.

Last year, he put up great competition among drivers like the 23XI’s, Tyler Reddick, HMS’ Kyle Larson, and his very own Brad Keselowski. It will be interesting to see Chris Buescher in Pocono as his team looks to re-establish their playoff hopes.

The green flag is scheduled to drop at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday. While the EssentiallySports on-ground team aims to bring you the best exclusives from your favorite drivers, we can expect every competitor to sweat their best to make it to the playoffs.

However, what are your thoughts on Chris Buescher’s take on points? Let us know in the comments.