Beyond the Flag
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NASCAR: Top 3 replacement candidates for Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports

By Asher Fair

MARTINSVILLE, VA - MARCH 24: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's for Pros Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 24, 2018 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
MARTINSVILLE, VA - MARCH 24: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's for Pros Chevrolet, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 24, 2018 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /
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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 14: Chris Buescher, driver of the #37 Kleenex Chevrolet (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 14: Chris Buescher, driver of the #37 Kleenex Chevrolet (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) /

Chris Buescher

Chris Buescher, 25, currently drives the #37 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drove in the Cup Series as a part-time driver for Front Row Motorsports in the 2015 season before coming to the team full-time in the 2016 season and then making the switch to JTG Daugherty as a full-time driver in the 2017 season.

Buescher is probably not a driver who most people would think of when it comes to potential replacements for Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports in the #48 Chevrolet. In fact, Buescher is probably not a driver who most people who think of when it comes to potential replacements for any of the veterans who currently drive for any of the top-tier teams in the Cup Series.

However, Buescher is a talented young driver who is locked into a contract with JTG Daugherty Racing until the end of the 2018 season, and he has valuable experience behind the wheel of a Chevrolet. Despite the fact that he has driven only for underfunded teams in his Cup Series career, he has done a solid job.

In the 2016 season when he drove the #34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, Buescher made it to the playoffs with his first career Cup Series win at Pocono. He also finished in 5th place at Bristol in the only other race that resulted in him finishing in the top 10 in 2016.

In the 2017 season in his first season driving for JTG Daugherty Racing, Buescher did not make the playoffs, but he was far more consistent with four top 10 finishes, including two season-high 6th place results at Michigan and Kansas. He opened up the 2018 season with a 5th place finish in the Daytona 500.

There is no doubt that Buescher is a talented driver who has not had great equipment in the Cup Series to show off his talent. The question is whether or not he will get the opportunity to do so at Hendrick Motorsports in the #48 Chevrolet after Johnson retires.

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