At the beginning of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, the stage was set to have a few surprise playoff contenders. The introduction of the Next Gen car helped to level the playing field in 2022, and several drivers enjoyed career years. The season featured five drivers who both won their first race and participated in the postseason for the first time.
As the green flag fell on 2023, many were wondering if any of the mid-pack drivers would follow Ross Chastain’s example and enjoy a dramatic breakout year.
Chris Buescher and RFK Racing answered the call.
Buescher and the No. 17 team elevated their performance in a big way, not just compared to 2022 but also to any previous season of Buescher’s Cup career. He scored three wins, nine top fives and 17 top 10s, all personal bests for a single season by a wide margin.
A model of consistency throughout the year, Buescher qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and advanced all the way to the Round of 8.
It has been an entire decade since any of Jack Roush’s drivers had this kind of success, but Buescher clearly found a spark in the second year of Roush’s partnership with new owner/driver Brad Keselowski. The No. 17 team’s ascendance was the biggest positive surprise among driver performances during 2023.
Buescher did not reach the postseason in 2022, but his victory at Bristol Motor Speedway did snap a six-year winless drought. The win had to give RFK some hope for the next year, especially as Keselowski hobbled through a miserable season.
Indeed, Buescher and Keselowski looked much more equal during the early weeks of 2023, keeping the playoff bubble in sight as the weeks ticked away. Halfway through the regular season, the Nos. 6 and 17 were 13th and 14th on the playoff grid respectively, and it appeared that both RFK cars had a chance to sneak into the playoffs.
But Buescher did not simply sneak in; he busted the door down and asserted himself as a title contender.
The real turning point in his season came during the leadup to the playoffs when he won three times in a five-race stretch. The first of those victories came at Richmond Raceway in the final weekend of July. Aside from the two stage breaks, the race did not have a single caution for cause until nine laps to go. Track position was king throughout the afternoon, and drivers who were off the pace of the leaders had little chance to improve their cars.
Yet Buescher seemed…
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