NASCAR: 5 replacement candidates for Jimmie Johnson in 2021
By Asher Fair
Chris Buescher
Chris Buescher is not often a name associated with potential replacement candidates for drivers at top-tier teams, but he deserves a second look given his progression driving for some of the low-tier teams in the NASCAR Cup Series in recent seasons.
Buescher qualified for the playoffs as a rookie at Front Row Motorsports by winning the rain-shortened race at Pocono Raceway in August of 2016, and while he hasn’t won nor been back to the playoffs since then, he has steadily progressed as a whole during his three seasons with JTG Daugherty Racing.
He finished in 25th place in the championship standings in the 2017 season with four top 10 finishes, 16 top 20 finishes and an average finish of 21.4 before finishing in 24th in the standings the following year with two top five finishes, 18 top 20 finishes and an average finish of 21.0.
This past season, he finished in 20th in the standings with four top 10 finishes, 27 top 20 finishes, the most in team history, and an average finish of 17.8, tied for the best in team history.
During the 2019 season, Buescher went on a streak of 16 consecutive top 18 finishes. It may seem like an arbitrary statistic, but Jimmie Johnson himself never pulled that over the course of his Hall of Fame-caliber career.
That level of consistency is practically unheard of in the Cup Series, no matter what team a driver competes for, and Buescher did it driving for JTG Daugherty Racing.
Put that consistency at a top-tier team, and who knows what Buescher is capable of accomplishing. He is set to get a shot at Roush Fenway Racing, the team for which he competed in the Xfinity Series and won the 2015 championship, as the replacement for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. behind the wheel of the #17 Ford next year.
If that goes well and he has the opportunity to make another move after 2020, don’t be surprised if that move is to the #48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.