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NASCAR: 10 drivers who deserve better rides in the Cup Series

By Asher Fair

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 01: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Shriners Hospital for Chldrn 95th Annvrsry Ford, and Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Military Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 01: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Shriners Hospital for Chldrn 95th Annvrsry Ford, and Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Military Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /
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SPARTA, KY – JULY 07: Chris Buescher, driver of the #37 Breyers Chevrolet (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images)
SPARTA, KY – JULY 07: Chris Buescher, driver of the #37 Breyers Chevrolet (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images) /

#3 – Chris Buescher, JTG Daugherty Racing, No. 37 Chevrolet

Chris Buescher, 24, made his NASCAR Cup Series debut as a part-time driver for Front Row Motorsports in 2015 before officially becoming a rookie with the team the following season. It took him until his 27th career race to finally finish a race higher than 14th place.

But when he finally did so, he did it in a big way. Buescher’s first career top 13 finish in the Cup Series was a win at Pocono. Winning at Pocono locked him into the Chase in his first full season of competition, a major accomplishment for a rookie driving for such a small team.

While many will argue that Buescher’s win at Pocono was a fluke, what isn’t a fluke is the fact that he has definitely developed into a solid driver since then, especially given the fact that he hasn’t had the opportunity to drive for a top-tier team.

Two races after his first Cup Series win, Buescher finished in 5th place at Bristol, giving him two top 5 finishes in three races as a rookie driving for Front Row Motorsports, a team that has nowhere near the amount of resources as a team like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing or Stewart-Haas Racing has.

In 2017, his first season driving for JTG Daugherty Racing, Buescher didn’t get off to the hottest start. However, he has since kicked it up a notch, finishing in 10th place at Daytona, 9th place at Indianapolis and 6th place at Michigan over the course of the last eight races. He now has five top 10 finishes in 66 career races.

What’s impressive is the fact that Buescher has pulled this off in just his second full-time season, and he has done it driving for JTG Daugherty Racing. While he may still need a little bit more development, he definitely deserves a ride with a better team at some point.

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