After fighting for the top 16 throughout the season and having a respectable 13.6 average finish, Chris Buescher still failed to make the playoffs cut. The spot slipped right through his hands and he is nothing but frustrated. He has 12 top-10s through the season and 5 top-5s, but just couldn’t manage a win or the points to replace Martin Truex Jr.

Now that he is out of contention for the post-season run, he still has some things figured out. But he is unhappy with all the efforts having gone to waste and is rooting for a better system going forward. RFK Racing also has plans to field a third driver in the upcoming season.

How did RFK Racing fare in the 2024 season?

RFK Racing has competed for almost three decades (27 years). It has 8 Cup Series championships under its belt. Having fielded some of the best drivers that the motorsport has seen across the three NASCAR series, the team is now down to only Cup Series with just two cars. Ever since Brad Keselowski co-owned the team, he has been making significant changes to bring the team back up to speed.

The 2024 season has been fairly decent for both RFK’s drivers. While Keselowski made it safely into the Playoffs from his mid-season Darlington win where Tyler Reddick wrecked Buescher. Chris Buescher nearly escaped a win twice again through the season, with runner-ups at Kansas Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. It was not an easy battle, for sure, but he ascribes the blame to falling behind the demands of the system.

Chris Buescher revealed his distress during the post-race interview with NASCAR on TSN. He said, “Just, didn’t quite get it done again and now we are only out working it. Unfortunately, it’s the system we’re all playing in and we had such a great year and everyone at RFK worked so hard, we’ve been so fast, we’ve outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for the championship…Such shame. But you know, great run Bill Summer Inc. got Mustang.“

Despite competing in the Cup Series since 2015, Buescher has only made it twice into the playoffs, with his best performance last year having 3 race wins, finishing the season at 7th. Buescher was hoping to have a similar run this year, not running after points to make it to the 16 field. “But that’s the system and we didn’t work it right,” remarked Buescher.

What is the frustration really about?

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Many NASCAR insiders have over and again pointed out the unfairness of the playoffs qualification format. Kevin Harvick has been most vocal about it, especially when Harrison Burton qualified with a race win at Daytona last weekend. The itch that this format imparts to those drivers who worked hard throughout the year but ended up failing to make the cut is too real.

But since it’s the same for all, and some will make it while others won’t, drivers need to work their way around it. You can only fight the system from the inside. And for Buescher, his season ended with a mixed feeling. “It’s just frustration and disbelief altogether,” said Buescher.

The #17 team knew the system and had plans to tackle it tactfully, but they failed. And it’s sinking in now, as the 32-year-old driver confirms, “Definitely gonna think back at different times of the year and figure out how to do better next time.” And that’s all that’s left to do. But the team does have some surprises for the post-season, as suggested by crew chief, Scott Graves. But Buescher snaps, “Yeah just, have a lot of things figured out and let’s not announce.”