DARLINGTON, S.C. (Sept. 5, 2015) – A strong No. 60 AdvoCare Ford Mustang and a great pit call by crew chief Scott Graves earned Chris Buescher a top-five finish in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Darlington Raceway. With his 11th top-five finish of the 2015 season, Buescher extends his points lead to 29 over second-place.
“We got it turned around here,” said Buescher. “A race like this is the reason this is my favorite place. I love this race track. It did exactly what we thought it would in the heat of the day. It got slick and we were hanging on. I need to say thanks to AdvoCare. I have been doing plenty of rehydrating trying to keep up with it. It is brutal out there. It was a really good day for our team and we will definitely take this when it is all said and done.”
The NASCAR XFINITY Series qualified at a hot Darlington Raceway on Saturday of Labor Day weekend, in what is being billed as “Tradition Returns”. After advancing to the third and final round of qualifying, Buescher earned a 10th-place starting spot in his No. 60 AdvoCare Ford Mustang.
Strong rain showers on Friday evening called for a competition caution on Lap 25. After starting 10th, Buescher picked up four positions before making his way down pit road under the caution on Lap 26.
Graves called for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to help the tight handling No. 60 Mustang. Buescher restarted sixth, and held that position during the next green flag run, with a car that was still just a little too tight.
A caution on Lap 70 allowed Buescher to come down pit road again for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. A quick pit stop gained Buescher one position, putting the No. 60 AdvoCare Ford Mustang in fifth for the restart.
As the green flag run continued, Graves informed Buescher that he would need to save one lap of fuel if the race stayed green to the end. That strategy changed when leader Denny Hamlin visited pit road. Graves immediately called Buescher to pit for four tires and fuel on Lap 123 of 147.
When pit stops cycled through, Buescher found himself back inside the top-10, ultimately finishing the day in fifth.
“It isn’t over by any means,” said Buescher. “There is a long way to go and we will have to race hard all the way to the end. This is a huge testament to the 60 team and everyone back at Roush Fenway. We are in a good spot. We want to continue it for sure.”
NEXT UP:
Virginia529 College Savings 250
.75-mile Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Va.
Friday, Sept. 11, 2015
7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network and MRN
RACE SUMMARY
Chris Buescher
Started: 10
Finished: Fifth
Complete Race Results:
www.roushfenway.com
POINTS SUMMARY
Chris Buescher
2015 Season Total: First with 874 points
2015 SEASON SUMMARY
Chris Buescher
Starts Wins Top-Fives Top-10s Poles
24 2 11 14 0
