NASCAR: Chris Buescher To Front Row Good for Everyone

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Buescher jumping to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2016 with Front Row Motorsports is a great move for all parties involved and could result in wins.

The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie field now has another entry to go along with Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Jeffrey Earnhardt: Chris Buescher. The 2015 Xfinity Series champion will be taking over the No. 34, the car he made his debut in in back at Fontana early in the fifth race of the season. Although it’s not a heavily funded ride like Elliott’s or Blaney’s, it’s still a car that he managed to impress in and could very well do so again in 2016.

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2015 was the year that everyone saw just how good Buescher truly is. He never got into trouble and always managed to bring his car home in one piece, which is everything for a team like Front Row Motorsports as they’re one of the underdog organizations in the Cup Series. They’re not as financially strapped as Earnhardt’s No. 32 Go FAS Ford entry, but to put it bluntly, they’re still a team that could use some solid backing if they want to truly be successful.

Still, Buescher did very well in 2015, going all six starts without scoring a DNF. His lone hiccup came at Watkins Glen where he finished 37th, yet as previously mentioned, he still brought the car home and finished. Other than that, with the exception of a 30th-place finish at Texas, he scored for top-25 finishes with a best of 20th in his debut at Fontana.

Now that he’s going to be a full-time Sprint Cup Series driver, it remains to be seen how he will fare with the No. 34 as his sole focus. Keep in mind the tale of Parker Kligerman. He did extremely well in 2013 running a limited schedule for Swan Racing, only to struggle and fail miserably in the first few starts of his 2014 rookie season before ultimately losing his ride. The same thing can happen to Buescher, Xfinity champ or not. He just needs to keep taking care of his cars and not take any unnecessary risks.

That’s not saying he’ll stink up the show. Like all rookies he’ll have good days and bad days. He’s got a long learning curve ahead of him, and he’ll definitely have days where he’ll be frustrated. He’s going from winning a championship to not contending for wins as much. Don’t expect him to win RotY, not for lack of effort but for the fact that this team is still growing.

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But it’s that growing that can be counted on, and with a consistent driver like Buescher at the helm of the No. 34, don’t be surprised if he scores a couple of top-10s, maybe even a top-five. FRM can definitely grow around Buescher, and as a result such growth could help the other FRM drivers as well. This was a good move for all involved, and if all goes well 2016 should be a good year for them as well.

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