For 24 hours Chris Buescher broke free from his playoff misery. RFK Racing’s #17 driver was not the lowest-seeded racer in the Round of 8 playoffs for one entire day. As soon as Ryan Blaney’s position and points were restored by NASCAR, cold-hard reality set in.

Buescher began racing in Las Vegas 3 points below the cut-off line. By the time he finished outside the Top 10, he further lost 20 crucial points. This weekend’s race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway suddenly became the only available fuel for his flickering flame. 

Can Chris Buescher steer RFK Racing’s sinking playoff ship?

The game plan for Las Vegas was simple enough. Finish within the Top 10, collect as many stage points as possible, and aim for a win without jeopardizing current standing. Unfortunately, Chris Buescher failed on all those counts. Not only did he lose his playoff standing, he finished in 11th place without accumulating any stage points. A disappointing performance indeed from a driver in his career-best racing year. 

Prior to the playoffs, team owner and #6 driver Brad Keselowski focused his attention on supporting Buescher’s championship ambitions. Keselowski braved questions surrounding his winless season and still aided his #17 driver’s victory at the Coke Zero Sugar 400. But after Keselowski’s elimination at the Charlotte Roval, he passed on the responsibility to the surviving playoff contestant and channeled his loss into a Top 5 finish.

Watch this story: Will Brad Keselowski Emerge as HMS & JGR’s Homestead Thorn as He Passes Championship Torch to Chris Buescher?

Now the stakes are even higher for Chris Buescher. The RFK Racing driver will have to draw from his impeccable form toward the end of the regular season. In the span of a month, Buescher amassed three incredible victories on three different grounds to emerge as a legitimate championship contender. For that, however, Buescher will have to supersede his less-than-uplifting track record on the oval. 

Brad Keselowski’s No. 17 driver haunted by his Homestead past

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In 7 Cup races on the 1.5-mile track, Chris Buescher could only produce an average finish of 19.7 without any Top 5 or Top 10 finishes. This is also the worst average finish in Homestead among all the remaining playoff drivers. But that does not mean all is already lost. Despite starting 12th, Buescher won Stage 1 in the 2021 Dixie Vodka 400 race on the track. 

However, a second-stage collision forced him to finish 19th in that race. But this shows promising potential to replicate those skills this weekend. Moreover, Darlington is often considered closest to the surface in Homestead due to similar tire wear out on both tracks. And Buescher has a Top 5 and 4 Top 10s on the track Too Tough to Tame. 

Besides, there is a reason why 2023 is touted as Buescher’s coming-of-age in terms of exemplary racing. He secured 2 Top 5s and a Top 10 in the first two rounds of playoffs. Other than Kansas, the #17 driver did not finish below the Top 20 in any of the playoff races so far. It takes one good day to qualify for the Championship 4 race. 

With or without Ryan Blaney’s disqualification, Chris Buescher has undoubtedly proven he can manufacture that day for himself and RFK Racing this Sunday.

Read More: Brad Keselowski’s Superstar Shockingly Warns RFK Racing Boss