Since the last five regular-season races in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing has been on an upward trend. They were coming off the back of a 1-2 finish at Daytona into the playoffs. Team owner Brad Keselowski might have hoped for his team to win at least one of the three round of 16 races, especially Bristol. Alas, it did not come to be. But there is absolutely no cause for concern as the two full-time drivers comfortably made it through to the round of 12.
RFK Racing’s rise started when Chris Buescher won his first race of the season at Richmond. He followed it up with another win at Michigan. Then, at the final regular-season race in Daytona, the team notched up a 1-2 finish with Buescher leading Brad Keselowski. Things have been quite consistent for the Ford team since as they look to make a significant impact in the remaining playoff races and perhaps even go all the way.
Despite Being Winless, RFK Racing’s Playoff Run Has Been Impressive
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RFK Racing’s playoff run so far has been pretty decent so far. At Darlington, Brad Keselowski and Buescher finished in sixth place and third place, respectively. But Kansas was a disaster for the latter, who could only manage a 27th-place finish. Keselowski, however, maintained his consistency and finished in ninth place.
Going into the final round of 16 race at Bristol, Keselowski would have hoped for a victory. Bristol is one of the most difficult tracks to navigate on the Cup Series calendar. But RFK racing had a weapon that has proven to work wonders on more than one occasion on the track before.
But it was not good enough on the day to compete with Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who is in red hot form at the moment. Regardless, RFK Racing was not in a must-win situation going into the race and they got the job done (getting both drivers into the last 12). They did so despite not winning a single race so far in the playoffs.
Turns out, Brad Keselowski’s weapon just fell short of what it had achieved in the past. Even this season, it has delivered race wins to RFK Racing more than once. It is none other than Keselowski’s teammate and the winner at Richmond, Michigan, and Daytona, Chris Buescher.
But why is he considered a weapon for RFK Racing? Well, the 30-year-old has two wins at the track, the latest coming as recently as last season. It was an incredible performance by the #17 driver who led a whopping 169 laps and beat Chase Elliott to the line by half a second.
But that was not the case this season. Buescher did drive exceptionally well, but he could only finish as high up as fourth. It did seal his place in the round of 12, however. And it was a welcome result after the disappointment at Kansas.
P4. Just needed to be 🤏🏻 much better.
Good thing is… we’re going farther in the playoffs than last time. For that I’m super proud of this team and everything we’ve accomplished.
Home next week in Texas 👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/6M9OpVtx1A
— Chris Buescher (@Chris_Buescher) September 17, 2023
The 30-year-old acknowledged his team’s efforts to get him and his teammate into the playoffs. But having tasted victory on more than one occasion this season, Chris Buescher is hungry for more.
“We needed a touch more to go fight for that win. But I’m really proud of this group. We’re on to the next round of playoffs, and we’ve got some more really great tracks coming for us. Got the first Ford out here tonight, so it was definitely a strong night for us. We just want a little bit more,” the RFK Racing driver said.
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Buescher and Keselowski will march into Texas as part of the remaining playoff field. The former will have a lot of expectations to carry at that track as it is his home track. After winning so many races this season, fans will expect him to challenge for the win and he will hope to not let them down.
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Speaking after the Bristol race, Buescher said the Texas weekend will be quite busy for him. He looks to make the most of the opportunity and earn his fourth victory of the season.
“It will be very busy. It is cool to make it past the first round. For my first playoff experience, this was the end, or wherever the cutoff was, it was the end of our playoff experience. So I am proud to be moving on and into the next one. I can’t wait to get to my home track,” he said as per Speedway Digest.
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Chris Buescher has been in excellent form despite not winning a race so far in the playoffs. Out of the three round-of-16 races he started, he finished in the top five in two (Darlington, Bristol). How do you think the Texas native will fare on his home track? Let us know your thoughts.
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