NASCAR top-tier ride: Making the case for Chris Buescher

By Asher Fair | Sep 4, 2017

KANSAS CITY, KS - MAY 12: Chris Buescher, driver of the #37 Scott Products Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 12, 2017 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

There are several NASCAR Cup Series drivers who deserve better rides. Chris Buescher is one of them. Will he ever get a ride with a top-tier team?

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 secure that first career top 13, he did it in a huge way. Buescher’s first career top 13 finish in the Cup Series wasn’t just a top 13 finish, a top 10 finish or even a top 5 finish. In fact, it was better than just a podium finish. It was a victory at Pocono. Winning at Pocono locked him into the Chase in his first full season of competition, a huge accomplishment for a rookie driving for such a small team.

While many may 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 and respectable driver since his maiden Cup Series victory, especially given the fact that he hasn’t had the opportunity to drive for a top-tier team yet in his blossoming career.

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Two races after that 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 NASCAR’s top-tier teams do.

This season, his first season driving for JTG Daugherty Racing, Buescher didn’t get off to a great start. However, he has since kicked it up a notch. In fact, he has finished in 10th place at Daytona, 9th place at Indianapolis and 6th place at Michigan over the course of the last nine races. He now has five top 10 finishes in 67 career races, with three of those five top 10 finishes coming recently.

Buescher currently sits in 25th place in the championship standings. In fact, he is higher in the standings than Danica Patrick, who drivers for a top-tier organization in Stewart-Haas Racing and sits in 28th. Buescher’s top finish of the season of 6th place is better than her top finish of the season as well, as she has only finished as high as 10th so far in 2017.

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

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Do you believe Chris Buescher deserves a Cup Series ride with a top-tier organization? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter.