Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @RFK17Team, @RFKRacing and @Chris_Buescher
Race Format: 500 miles, 188 laps, Stages: 60-60-68
NCS Race at Talladega – Sunday, April 24 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
ADVANCE NOTES
Weekend Format
· The weekend at Talladega features single-car qualifying only for the Cup cars, which will take place Saturday morning at 11 a.m. ET.
Buescher at Talladega Superspeedway
· Buescher makes his 14th Cup start at Talladega on Sunday, and is coming off one of his best finishes at the 2.66-mile Superspeedway just last fall (sixth).
· He finished sixth in the 2020 spring race, as well, with now two of his best career results in 13 starts coming in the last four events at Talladega. In last season’s spring race he finished 21st.
· Buescher has an average starting position of 26.6 with a career-best starting spot of 15th (2020).
· Buescher also made a pair of Xfinity starts at Talladega with finishes of second (2014) and sixth (2015) for Jack Roush in the No. 60.
Scott Graves at Talladega Superspeedway
· Talladega stands as Graves’ best track statistically with a 12.6 average finish, his best among active tracks, with five top-10s in 11 starts.
· He’ll be on the box for his 12th Cup event come Sunday, and has a best finish of second with Ryan Newman in the 2019 fall event. He and Newman teamed together for three top-10s in the seasons, including a P7 finish in 2019 in the spring, and a sixth-place result in the 2020 fall race.
· He carries an average starting position of 18.2 into the weekend with a career qualifying result of seventh (2017 – spring).
QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Talladega:
“Talladega is one of those places that just feels different pulling in. With our Superspeedway program and everything Jimmy Fennig and guys back at the shop put in on these cars, I know we have a shot every time we show up here, and that’s a very comforting feeling. The big thing is obviously staying out of the trouble as best you can and giving yourself a shot at the end. We’re excited for our go at it with the Fastenal Ford, and can’t wait for Sunday.”
Last Time Out
Buescher avoided much of the chaos in the Easter Sunday dirt race at Bristol to bring home a 15th-place finish in the Fastenal Ford, his third-straight P15.
On the Car
Fastenal, in its 12th season with RFK in 2022, makes its seventh appearance with the No. 17 this weekend. In its early days with RFK, Fastenal originally was a partner with the No. 99 team before moving over to the No. 17 team since. They were also the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity Series entry that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.
Fastenal will feature top suppliers Milwaukee Tool, Nord-Lock, Inc., OSG USA, Rustoleum and Louisville Ladders on Buescher’s Mustang as he competes this weekend. For more information on these suppliers, visit Fastenal.com, and stay up-do-date on social @FastenalCompany.
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.
