Team: No. 17 SunnyD / Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: Saturday: 311 miles, 311 laps, Stage Lengths: 70-115-126
Sunday: 311 miles, 311 laps, Stage Lengths: 70-115-126
Drydene 311 – Saturday, August 22 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
Drydene 311 – Sunday, August 23 at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
Double in Dover This Weekend
· For the second time in three weeks, the NASCAR Cup Series will take part in a doubleheader, this time at ‘The Monster Mile’ for a pair of afternoon races on Saturday and Sunday.
· Including this weekend’s action, three races remain in the 2020 regular season with the NASCAR Playoffs set to begin at Darlington Raceway on Labor Day weekend.
· As announced a week ago, starting lineups for the Cup Series will be determined by a competition-based performance metric. NASCAR will reward both season-long and single-race performance to determine the lineup and pit selection, using owner points position, the finish and fastest lap from the most recently completed race.
· Dover is usually held on the calendar twice, once in May and again in the fall, but complications from COVID-19 pushed the race from May to this weekend’s doubleheader. Four weeks of NASCAR action were initially completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.
Buescher Historically at Dover
· Buescher will make his ninth and 10th starts at Dover this weekend. In eight prior events, Buescher has a best finish of 18th, which came in his first-ever Cup event in 2016.
· In Xfinity Series action Buescher is a former winner at ‘The Monster Mile,’ having won in 2015 in Jack Roush’s No. 60 entry. In that event, Buescher started second and led the final 10 laps en route to one of his two wins that season and the series title.
Luke Lambert Historically at Dover
· Lambert will be atop the box for his 15th and 16th Cup events this weekend. In 14 prior starts, Lambert has an average finish of 17.1 with two top-10s.
· He led Newman to a fourth-place run in the spring 2017 event, and prior to that finished eighth with Newman in 2014. Most recently, Lambert finished 25th and 21st with Daniel Hemric a season ago.
· Lambert also called a pair of Xfinity races at Dover in 2012, finishing seventh and fourth with Elliott Sadler.
QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Dover:
“We’re ready to tackle another doubleheader this weekend in Dover, a track that is so unique in your approach to each corner. I was fortunate to get a win there in the Xfinity Series back in 2015, and know it is a track that Jack has had a lot of success at over the years. We’re proud of our top-5 effort last weekend in a place that was new for everyone, and look forward to building on that this weekend in our SunnyD and Fastenal machines.”
Last Time Out
Buescher secured his second top-five of the season last weekend with a fifth-place run in the inaugural Cup event at the Daytona Road Course. After rolling off the grid 21st, Buescher and the No. 17 team put themselves on the right end of the strategy as the laps wound down. With a final caution flag with five laps remaining, Buescher ran ninth, and restarted seventh, before powering his way through the field into the top-five in the closing laps, securing his first-ever top-five at a road course in the Cup Series. It also marked Jack Roush’s first Cup top-five on a road course since 2014.
Where They Rank
Buescher is 22nd in driver standings through 23 events.
On the Car Saturday
SunnyD returns to Buescher’s Ford for Saturday’s race in Dover, and fans have a chance to experience a pre-race meet and greet. From August 17-21, fans can submit questions using #ChatWithChris for a chance to participate in a private video call on August 22 before the race at Dover. Five winners will enjoy a pre-race VIP experience to pick the brains of Buescher and his crew chief before the green flag waves in Delaware. See official contest rules here.
About SunnyD
The iconic SunnyD® brand is owned by Harvest Hill Holdings, a Brynwood Partners owned beverage company. The 54-year-old SunnyD® brand is a leading chilled juice drink in the U.S. In addition to the SunnyD® brand, the company markets the Juicy Juice®, Little HUG®, and Daily’s® beverage brands. Harvest Hill’s products are widely distributed through leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada.
On the Car Sunday
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.
Scott (KCP), Gearwrench, Krylon and Masterlock will ride aboard the No. 17 as Fastenal Racing’s featured suppliers. Fastenal will also celebrate its national Go Blue sales contest on Buescher’s ride this weekend, by highlighting the names of the Fastenal employees in the Central Canada Region for their continued success. Each employee’s name in the region will be displayed on the hood of the Fastenal Ford Sunday.
- Scott, one of the world’s most recognized restroom brands, offers solutions designed to help you increase productivity, enhance your image, and improve employee, patient and guest satisfaction, will be on the TV panel.
- Gearwrench, a premier mechanics hand tool brand, will ride on the deck lid.
- Krylon, an industry leader in product innovation, package design, project inspiration and color, will ride on the lower rear quarter panel.
- Masterlock, a longtime leader in padlock and security products, will ride 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.
