Keselowski Leads Way with P8 Finish in BuildSubmarines.com Ford, Buescher P9 in NEXLETOL Ford
RICHMOND, Va. (March 31, 2024) – RFK brought home a pair of top-10 finishes on Easter Sunday at Richmond as Brad Keselowski finished eighth in the BuildSubmarines.com Ford, and Chris Buescher ninth in the NEXLETOL Ford.
Sunday’s 400-mile race was initially affected by inclement weather, which for the first time in Next Gen history (outside of North Wilkesboro) forced NASCAR to employ rain tires to start a race. The weather ultimately moved on though, in what turned into a NASCAR Overtime scenario by race end.
The top-10 for Buescher marks his fourth-straight, the first time in his Cup career to record four-straight top-10s. He’s one of only four drivers this season with five top-10s. Keselowski earned his third top-10 of the young season.
6 Recap
Keselowski began his Richmond race from the 23rd position following Saturday’s qualifying session. With damp conditions on the ¾-mile track as the race began, teams began the night with rain tires as NASCAR eventually threw a caution at lap 30 to reset the field.
With slick tires on from that point on, Keselowski went on to finish 19th in the opening stage at lap 70, and after the first live pit stop of the evening, would line up 16th on the ensuing restart. The following 89 laps ran caution-free, with Keselowski pitting under green at lap 122 from the 15th spot. When the next yellow was displayed at lap 168, Keselowski was seventh and went on to finish 11th by the stage end (lap 230).
The BuildSubmarines.com Ford fired off 10th for the final stage, as Keselowski kept the No. 6 inside the top-10 from then on, with a pair of green-flag pit stops spanning the final stage. A final caution flew with just two laps remaining as Keselowski ran ninth, and he held on to the eighth spot in the final restart in NASCAR Overtime to finish eighth.
“That was respectable,” Keselowski said. “I don’t think we had the speed to win the race, but we had the speed to run in that eighth to 12th range and we kind of did that most of the night. We ended up executing at the end to get an eighth, so it was respectable. We took a little step backwards, but we’ll learn from it and be better.”
17 Recap
Buescher unloaded with one of the faster cars in the field, turning in a quick practice time Saturday morning. He went on to qualify 14th, but would quickly solidify himself in the top-10 once the green dropped Sunday night.
The No. 17 Ford was ninth by the time of the competition caution at lap 30, and from there he slipped to 13th by the end of stage one (lap 70). He restarted stage two in 11th and worked his way back inside the top-10 midway through the segment, before pitting from 10th at lap 125 under green. The only caution of the stage flew at lap 168 with Buescher in fifth. He restarted there, and ultimately was scored seventh some 50 laps later at the conclusion of stage two (lap 230), earning stage points.
Buescher fired off ninth for the final stage in what appeared to run all under green until the very end. He pitted from the eighth position under green at lap 333 in what appeared to be the final stop, until a caution flew late with two laps remaining.
As most of the field pitted, Buescher did as well, lining back up inside the top-10 for one final restart in NASCAR Overtime, where Buescher charged forward for the ninth-place finish.
“That’s certainly not what we were hoping for,” Buescher said after the race. “I was really excited coming back here. We had a good day, but nothing terrific to write home about. We’ll definitely dive into it and try to figure out what changed and see where we might be able to get better for the next go round.”
Up Next
Martinsville Speedway hosts the second-straight short track race next weekend for the eighth race of the season. Race coverage Sunday is set for 3 p.m. ET on FS1, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
