NEXLETOL Ford Finishes 14th after Early Mishap
RIDGEWAY, Va. (April 16, 2023) – Chris Buescher overcame an early misfortune Sunday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway to finish 14th in the NEXLETOL Ford.
Buescher began the 400-lap race from the 10th position, his second-straight top-10 qualifying effort in the spring event. He finished 15th at the end of the first stage of 80 laps with his sights set on the top-10 for stage two. But, an equipment interference penalty on the pit stop in the stage break forced him to the rear of the field, losing all of his track position.
From there, Buescher had to claw back throughout the afternoon, and methodically did so. He was 30th to end stage two and restarted the final stage in 31st, but used a long green-flag run to his advantage in the opening moments of stage three to move forward.
Buescher hit pit road with 105 laps remaining from the 15th spot, but was trapped a lap down when the caution was displayed for debris just a few laps later. He took the wave around though, and restarted 20th with 88 to go. A late caution gave him one more opportunity to gain ground, and he did so eventually crossing the line 14th.
The No. 17 team returns to action next week at Talladega Superspeedway. Race coverage Sunday is set for 3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
