The 2023 Cup Series championship chase saw Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing’s drivers duke it out for race wins. Staying ahead of the field, HMS’s William Byron and JGR’s Martin Truex Jr have been the drivers constantly topping the charts. But as NASCAR rolled into Richmond, a new contender emerged.

Securing his and the Brad Keselowski co-owned RFK Racing team’s first win of the 2023 season, Chris Buescher drove down Richmond Raceway’s Victory Lane. Stepping into Michigan for the FireKeepers Casino 400 race, the #17 RFK Racing superstar continued his winning streak but felt incomplete.

Chris Buescher feels incomplete despite putting on a dominating show

Riding high on his Richmond victory, Chris Buescher secured the 4th spot on the Michigan starting grid. Although the #17 RFK Racing driver fell behind during stage one on Sunday, Buescher rebounded from the slump as he finished in the 10th spot in stage two. Charging ahead during the final leg of the FireKeepers Casino 400, Buescher claimed the lead, successfully fending off stage one and stage two winner, Martin Truex Jr.

Claiming 41 points, the RFK Racing superstar won for a second consecutive time, driving down Michigan’s Victory Lane. Although enthralled by his back-to-back wins, Buescher’s heart was slightly heavy. Speaking in the Victory Lane interview, the #17 driver said,

“This team gave me a great car again and had to work for that one too, and you know, hard racing there at the end. Martin was very clean with me and I appreciate that, and get to go to Victory Lane two weeks in a row, so that’s pretty awesome.”

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Thanking his team for their efforts, he further added, “I think that’s the same thing I said yesterday that was, he came by us a few times and was flying, so some really good changes. I got this Mustang in a good place to win here at Michigan for Ford, for Jack. Brad’s home track, it’s everybody’s home track on our team but me. So it’s a cool, cool victory here.” 

Marrying Emma Helton in 2018, Chris Buescher and his wife welcomed their daughter, Charley, into the world in December 2022. With Emma taking care of little Charley, Buescher missed his wife’s presence in Michigan. Revealing how Emma Helton’s absence made his win feel incomplete, the RFK Racing superstar said, “I gotta say you know, missing my wife. She hasn’t been at the last two wins now, uh three wins, ooh, yeah, we’re gonna have to get her to a racetrack soon. But I didn’t thank her last week, and I know she puts up with a lot, so wish she was here, and we’ll get to celebrate now.”

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With Chris Buescher grabbing the race win at Michigan, Denny Hamlin’s worst fears came true.

Denny Hamlin overshadowed by Brad Keselowski’s superstar

On the lookout to add another win to his 2023 belt, Denny Hamlin hoped to charge ahead of the playing field in Michigan. Earning the 13th position on the starting grid, Hamlin got to work, moving up to the 8th spot by the end of stage one. But his overtaking saga was far from a cakewalk, as the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver was constantly locking horns with Chris Buescher.

As rain cut short the FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday, Denny Hamlin on his Actions Detrimental podcast revealed Buescher as his biggest Michigan threat. “Chris Buescher is driving in there and getting up beside me, and slowing my momentum because he’s getting way up further; he’s getting beside me when I’m really not planning on him to be,” Hamlin said. Collecting a 3rd place finish at Michigan, Denny Hamlin’s worst fears came true as Chris Buescher’s outperformed the #11 JGR driver.

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With Chris Buescher securing back-to-back wins at Richmond and Michigan, RFK Racing has now cemented itself as a major championship threat.