LONG POND, Pa. – When Chris Buescher qualified on the front row for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, he knew he would be a factor for the win.
Buescher’s instinct was correct, as the No. 17 Ford was among the best in the field for the duration of the event. After losing track position multiple times, he charged through the field and had a proficient points day. But there was one problem: Chase Briscoe stretched his fuel tank and secured a playoff berth with a win. Buescher settled for fourth.
“I’m concerned right now about winning,” Buescher said post race. “It’s a big part of it. It was a good points day, but it was because we had a fast race car today.”
Buescher won’t sugarcoat his disdain for points racing. He would much rather chase checkered flags. And even in a strategy-filled extravaganza that Pocono is, having a fast hot rod can trump everything. Track position is coveted, too.
Buescher followed Denny Hamlin for the duration of the opening stage to lock up nine stage points. Pitting at the end of the stage plummeted Buescher in the running order, dropping as low as 28th. He continuously soared through the field and reached fifth by the conclusion of Stage 2 in an eventful, four-caution stage.
With strategy playing out over the final stint, Shane van Gisbergen spun to bring out the final caution on Lap 124. Ryan Blaney was on pit road as the yellow flag flew and jumped ahead of the No. 17 car. Buescher chose fourth for the restart, lining up on the inside of the second row to jump a spot.
While protecting the inside lane, Buescher slid up the track through Turn 1 on the restart. He dropped to fifth, and over the final 30 laps of green-flag competition, the No. 17 car gained just one position.
“We started on the bottom and didn’t gain any track position on the restart,” Buescher added. “Spent the whole run trying to get two spots. Clean air is king here. Our Ford Mustang was so fast. If we could have ever gotten track position on the day, I felt really good about our chances.
“It’s fun being this fast and feeling like we have a shot. Ultimately, we needed to do a couple things a little differently and some things to clear out a little differently with the way the cautions fell and maybe had a shot at it. We had the speed, too.”
Buescher has two top-five finishes over the last three races. With a 10th-place run at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez last weekend, the No. 17 team has three consecutive top 10s for the first time since the final three races of the 2024 regular season.
“We come to one of these larger race tracks and we have speed to contend,” Buescher said, noting that RFK Racing continues its uptick in performance, as all three cars finished in the top 10 for the second time in three weeks. “It’s a lot of fun driving these things. Appreciate all the guys working so hard to get it here.”
RFK co-owner Brad Keselowski was pleased with the organization’s performance, as Ryan Preece notched his seventh top-10 finish of 2025, matching his total from the previous two seasons combined with Stewart-Haas Racing. Keselowski had yet to pit for the final time when van Gisbergen spun, trapping him on the track. The No. 6 car rallied to finish ninth.
“It’s two of the last three weeks, so pretty solid,” Keselowski said of RFK’s strong effort. “We’re knocking on it for sure, leading laps and in contention.”
Buescher gained 19 points on the playoff elimination line and is 38th points above 16th. He leaped ahead of both Bubba Wallace and Alex Bowman.