Buescher Rallies for Top-15 Finish at Dover International Speedway
DOVER, Del. (September 27, 2014) -James Buescher and the No. 99 Rheem RAB Racing team were forced to overcome adversity early in the Dover 200 weekend. It was during the opening lap of final practice when the hood on the No. 99 Rheem Toyota Camry came unsecured and flew open causing significant damage to the Toyota Camry. After assessing the damage, the Rheem crew was forced to roll out the backup car from the hauler. With no laps on track in the back up car, Buescher went on to secure the 14th-place starting spot in Saturday afternoon’s race.
When the green-flag released the 40-car field, Buescher settled into the 15th running position. Multiple times during the first half of the 200-lap race the Texas Native radioed to the Rheem crew that his Toyota Camry was loose entering the corner and tight from the center all the way through the exit. It was just shy of the half-way mark of the race that Buescher fell down a lap to the leader. Buescher however fought hard to stay in the lucky dog position and caught a lucky break with a yellow flag to put him back on the lead lap. Safely back on the lead lap, Crew Chief Matt Lucas and the Rheem crew got an opportunity to swing at the handling on the Rheem Camry. During the final green-flag run Buescher came over the radio and said that the car was getting better the longer the race stayed green. Buescher was in an intense battle for the remaining 10-laps of race, the 24-year-old would hold onto his position and bring home his 13th top-15 of the 2014 season with a 15th-place finish.
James Buescher Quote:
“We had a really unfortunate turn of events during final practice on Friday. It was probably one of the best cars we’ve had straight off the truck in quite a while. The entire Rheem crew was looking forward to getting the primary Rheem Camry dialed in, but mistakes happen and you have to put that behind you. I’m really proud of how my RAB Racing team rebounded from that and gave me a solid back up for the race. We really didn’t know what we were going to have but overall it felt pretty good at the end. We could have used at least one more restart at the end to see if we could get back on the lead lap and gain a couple more positions. I’m looking forward to getting back to Kansas where I’ve run well in the past.”
Upcoming Race:
With only five races remaining in the 2014 season, the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to the mid-west for series’ one and only trip the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway oval. The Kansas Lottery 300 can be seen on Saturday, October 4 at 3:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. The event can also be heard on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channel 90 and on MRN Radio.
First Practice
Position: 13
Fastest Lap: 24.068 sec.
Laps: 9
Final Practice
Did Not Participate Due to Accident
Qualifying
Position:14
Fastest Lap:23.959 sec.
Race
Position:15
Laps Completed/Total:198/200
About RAB:
Originally founded in 2005, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard is a Concord, North Carolina-based auto racing team that fields entries in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. RAB Racing has fielded entries in the ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This season will mark the sixth season of full-time NASCAR competition for the organization. With the support of Toyota, RAB Racing is poised and ready to take the next step in capturing the organization’s first NASCAR Championship. To learn more about RAB Racing, visit www.TeamRAB.com.
