Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 248.52 miles, 109 laps, Stage Lengths: 25-25-59
Bank of America ROVAL 400 – Sunday, Oct. 11 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
Focus Shifts to ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway
· The ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts just its third NASCAR Cup event ever this weekend, a race that will mark the second (and final) road course race of the 2020 season.
· This weekend’s 109-lap event is the final race in the round of 12 of the NASCAR Playoffs, with Kansas, Texas, Martinsville and Phoenix remaining on the season slate.
· The starting lineup will continue to be set by three competition-based metrics, rewarding both season-long and single-race performance. Sunday’s lineup will be announced later this week.
· 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 before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.
Buescher Historically at the ROVAL
· Buescher makes his third start at the ROVAL on Sunday, where he has an average finish of 17.5 with results of 17th (2018) and 18th (2019). In those two events, Buescher lined up 10th and 12, respectively.
· Looking back at the series’ most-recent road course event, Buescher fared particularly well, putting himself well inside the top five late in the race at the Daytona Road Course, before finishing fifth.
· Overall on road courses in the NCS, Buescher has 12 starts with an average finish of 19th.
· Buescher does have a road course win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, which came back in 2014 at Mid-Ohio when he took Jack Roush’s No. 60 machine to victory lane. He also won an ARCA Menards Series event at Road America back in 2013.
Luke Lambert Historically at the ROVAL
· Lambert will call his third Cup event at the ROVAL on Sunday, where he has an average finish of 22nd, and a best result of 11th with Ryan Newman in 2018. Last season, he and Daniel Hemric finished 33rd.
· Overall on road courses in his Cup career, Lambert has three top-10s, including a career-best fifth with Buescher at the Daytona RC in August. He finished ninth with Jeff Burton back in his first-ever race at Watkins Glen in 2011, and also scored a top-10 with Newman at Sonoma in 2016.
· Lambert called three road course events in his Xfinity tenure, recording a best finish of fourth with Elliott Sadler in Montreal in 2012.
QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at the ROVAL:
“I, for one, am excited to get back to a road course and see what we can do. What wound up being a really fun day in Talladega last weekend turned sour well after the race, so we’re looking for some redemption in our Fastenal Ford come Sunday. Our car at the Daytona Road Course back in August was sporty, and we finished the day off with a solid top-five. We’re looking for much of the same this weekend in our back yard.”
Last Time Out
Buescher led 15 laps in the SunnyD Ford at Talladega on Sunday, and was in the thick of the action late as a record 13 cautions were displayed. After crossing the line eighth, Buescher was bumped up to sixth following an initial post-race review, but was later penalized by NASCAR, relegating him to a 22nd-place finish.
Where They Rank
Buescher is 20th in driver standings through 31 events.
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.
Wypall, Loctite, MCR and Krylon will ride aboard the No. 17 as Fastenal Racing’s featured suppliers Sunday in Charlotte.
· Wypall (KCP), a brand under the Kimberly-Clark umbrella that specializes in task-specific wipes and cloths, will ride on the hood.
· Loctite, a leader in adhesives, sealants and surface treatments will be on the TV panel.
· MCR, a leader in the field of personal protective equipment (PPE), will be on the decklid.
· Krylon, an industry leader in product innovation, package design, project inspiration and color, will ride on the lower rear quarter panel.
Driven for a Cause
Throughout the month of October, Roush Fenway Racing will show its support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month by running special pink numbers on its Ford Mustangs. In addition, Roush Fenway Fords will sport pink ‘Driven for a Cause’ ribbon decals on its Ford Mustangs.
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.
