Keselowski 14th in Southern 500
DARLINGTON, S.C. (Sept. 1, 2024) – If controlling his own destiny were the bottom line Sunday night at Darlington, Chris Buescher would’ve been in the right position as the 2024 NASCAR Playoffs picture was decided. However, another new winner went to victory lane, putting the No. 17 team on the outside looking in as the night ended.
“I don’t know,” Buescher said in disbelief following the 500-mile race. “We felt like we did, for the most part, what we needed to do today. We got back in contention there at the end and got a decent finish out of it. We just didn’t quite get it done again and we’re on the outside looking in.
“It’s just the system we’re all playing in. We had such a great year, everyone at RFK has worked so hard. We’ve been so fast. We’ve outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for a championship, but that’s the system and we didn’t work it right.”
Keselowski finished 14th in his return to the track ‘Too Tough to Tame’ where he won this spring, and now enters the playoffs reseeded as the No. 8 driver entering the final 10 races.
6 Recap
Keselowski began the afternoon from the 12th spot, and ended the opening stage of 115 laps in 11th, just behind teammate Buescher.
Stage two ran caution-free for all 115 laps as Keselowski managed a 10th-place result to earn a stage point, setting up a long run to the finish as night fell on South Carolina.
Despite a lack of cautions early, the last 50+ laps saw four yellow flags fly, reshuffling track position and strategy for the closing laps. Keselowski overcame a pit road issue in one of the breaks, and restarted sixth with 17 to go before going on to finish 14th.
17 Recap
Buescher and the No. 17 team did everything needed to insert themselves into the playoff picture. A qualifying effort of 10th began the weekend as Buescher locked in a heated battle with the No. 23 all race. He put the BuildSubmarines.com Ford 10th in the first stage to pick up a stage point.
Despite a 13th-place finish in stage two, Buescher carried a seven-point buffer to the 23. He hit pit road earlier than the 23 as green-flag stops cycled early in stage three. After a yellow at lap 315, Buescher and the No. 38 were the cause of a caution just eight laps later as Buescher was forced into the outside wall.
Buescher rallied though, ultimately coming back to restart fifth with 17 laps remaining in what would be the final restart of the night. With the 14’s win, Buescher stood as the first car out of the playoffs.
Up Next
Atlanta Motor Speedway hosts the first race of the 2024 Playoffs next weekend, with race coverage Sunday set for 3 p.m. ET on USA, and radio coverage on PRN 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.
