Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: Saturday: 325 miles, 130 laps, Stage Lengths: 25-42-53
Sunday: 350 miles, 140 laps, Stage Lengths: 30-55-55
Pocono Organics 325 – Saturday, June 27 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
Pocono 350 – Sunday, June 28 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
NASCAR Returns to Action
· NASCAR’s return to racing heads to the Pocono Mountains this weekend, as the NASCAR Cup Series tackles its first doubleheader in the modern era (1972-present). The stars of the NCS will first run 325 miles on Saturday afternoon, and follow that with a 350-mile event Sunday. Overall, the 2.5-mile, three-turn track will host 1,250 miles worth of racing across four series.
· To add to the drama of the series’ first-ever doubleheader, teams will use the same car for both days unless forced to a backup car from an incident in Saturday’s event.
· The starting lineup for the first race will be determined by a random draw based on teams’ order in owners’ points, meaning Buescher will draw for a spot in the 13-24 group. The starting order for Sunday’s race will be determined by an inversion of the cars remaining on the lead lap at the end of race one.
· This weekend also picks up from the original 2020 season schedule, with the previous nine weeks shuffled around to allow for a safe return to the track.
· Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed.
Buescher Historically at Pocono Raceway
· Pocono marks the site of Buescher’s lone Cup win, which came back in 2016 while driving at Front Row Motorsports. After weather played a factor with 133 laps completed, NASCAR red-flagged and ultimately called the race early — giving Buescher his first-career victory in NASCAR’s top series.
· In the last two events at the ‘Tricky Triangle,’ Buescher has finishes of 14th and 16th, his two best results at the track outside of his 2016 win.
· Buescher also made four ARCA Series starts at Pocono in 2011-12, recording one runner-up finish in the first, followed by a third-place run and two fifth-place finishes.
Luke Lambert at Pocono Raceway
· Lambert heads to Pocono for the 15th and 16th times as a Cup crew chief this weekend, where he has an average finish of 14.8.
· Lambert has four top-10s dating back to 2011 at the ‘Tricky Triangle,’ most recently a seventh-place run with Daniel Hemric last season, a year after an eighth-place run with Ryan Newman in 2018. He also posted back-to-back top-10 runs with Newman in 2014 (seventh and eighth).
QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Pocono:
“I’m excited for the doubleheader, I have been ever since it was announced. It will add something different to our sport and bring additional buzz and excitement. Unfortunately, we are not able to bring fans to experience it and get to see all the racing action that is packed into one week, but going forward (the doubleheader) is something I think that can be huge for our sport. With the differing lengths of the two races, I do not think it necessarily changes anything inside the car; we’re going to try and go as hard as we can every lap. With it being a DH, there’s that awareness factor you’re going to need to take the car into the second race and keep your starting position.”
Last Time Out
Buescher was in the runner-up position, pushing the No. 4 car to the finish with one to go at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday, before going on to finish sixth. Buescher earned two more stage points at the 2.66-mile track, and survived the chaos late for his third top-10 of 2020.
On the Car
Fastenal celebrates its 10th season with Roush Fenway Racing in 2020. The Minnesota company spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping to the No. 17 Cup Series entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.
Honeywell, Rust-Oleum, Dewalt, Walter Surface and Jet (JPW) will ride aboard the No. 17 as Fastenal Racing’s featured suppliers this weekend in Pocono.
· Honeywell, now headquartered in Charlotte, will ride on the hood.
· Rust-Oleum, a manufacturer of protective paints and coatings for home and industrial use, will ride on the TV panel.
· DeWalt, an American worldwide brand of power hand tools, will ride on the deck lid.
· Walter Surface, a leader in surface treatment technologies, will ride on the lower rear quarter.
· JET, with 50 years’ experience in the industrial tool category, will be on the b-post.
About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.
