By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – In a largely chaotic race – action-packed literally from the drop of the green flag, it was Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher who prevailed in overtime in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen – passing road course ace, Shane Van Gisbergen in a bumper-to-bumper last lap duel to claim his career first road course victory at the famed Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.
Van Gisbergen took the lead from the second row in a daring three-wide move on an overtime restart, but Buescher chased him down. Buescher’s No. 17 RFK Racing Ford and Van Gisbergen’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet made contact in the course’s famous bus stop then Buescher slid his Mustang inside Van Gisbergen’s Camaro in the esses and motored off to a .979-second win over the New Zealand superstar in the second Playoff race of the season.
Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Spire’s Zane Smith rounded out the top-five. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe finished sixth, followed by Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, Spire’s Corey LaJoie, SHR’s Ryan Preece and Team Penske’s Austin Cindric.
Briscoe and Cindric were the only two Playoff drivers to finish among the top-10 in what was a perpetually dramatic day for the 16 Playoff drivers racing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
“Oh man, it was such a good Ford Mustang, speed was so great and long run speed phenomenal,” said the 31-year-old Texan Buescher, who just missed qualifying for the Playoffs when Chase Briscoe won the regular season finale at Darlington three weeks ago.
“I thought we lost it there on the last one but, man, to stay right there with him. It was a spot he was better than us, but he just missed it so I tried to cross over and just hard racing. What an awesome finish. To be that good for so much at the end of the race – all race – to get a win is good.
“We came here to be spoilers and we’re going to do that.”
Van Gisbergen, who won the Chicago Street Race last season in his first ever NASCAR Cup Series start, was a factor all day as expected for the former Australian Supercars champion, who will compete fulltime in the NASCAR Cup Series next year in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing.
“Driver error, yeah,” Van Gisbergen said of his slip in the bus stop. “I knew Chris was really going to send it and push me if he could…
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