By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
This weekend will be a cornerstone moment in Chris Buescher’s motor racing career. After years of fighting to get to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the Texan will make his 100th career start Sunday at Watkins Glen International.
From his start in ARCA in 2009 to his XFINITY Series debut in 2011 and Cup debut in 2015, Buescher’s career has jumped from tier to tier. Sunday’s 90-lapper will be one of Buescher’s most proud moments when he hits the 100-race mark in his career.
“It’s definitely special to be able to have 100 career starts,” Buescher told Kickin’ The Tires. “I can’t thank everyone at Kroger and the whole JTG organization for welcoming me into the family and getting me to this point.
“I look forward to the next 100 more and 100 more after that.”
Making his series debut at Auto Club Speedway in 2015, the then-22-year-old finished 20th for Front Row Motorsports. For the following year, he jumped to his first full-time season, shocking the sport with a victory at Pocono Raceway, a top five at Bristol and a playoff spot for the small team of Front Row.
2017 kicked off a new relationship with JTG Daugherty Racing, a team he currently competes with alongside teammate AJ Allmendinger.
Despite the quick upward projection for Buescher, 2018, however, has not gone to plan for the two-car organization, who sit 23rd and 24th in points, respectively.
With only two top 10s this year (both at Daytona), Buescher feels, though, that the finishes haven’t told the story of the No. 37 team’s potential through 21 races this season.
“I think like anyone, we’re all doing the best we can,” he said. “We’ve had some bad luck but we’re only on our second year as the No. 37 team and we’re still building and growing together. The best thing about JTG is we’re all a family. We’re all in this together.”
Buescher feels the team has grown from one year ago, as he sat 26th in points at this point in 2017.
“Overall, I think we’ve improved from last year,” he said. “Our goal is to finish in the top 20 every week and I think each week we’re closer and closer to that. We’ve got a really strong team and organization and we’re all building and growing together.”
Though Buescher is off a transmission issue late at Pocono Raceway, there is excitement in the air for all of JTG entering the Finger Lakes region of Watkins Glen. While teammate Allmendinger is a renowned road racing ringer (winning the team’s only Cup race at the Glen in 2014), Buescher, too, has his colorful past on road courses.
“Road course racing is something I’ve really started to enjoy,” he said. “It’s not in my background but it breaks up the schedule and I like the challenges that it presents.”
Indeed, it has become an optimistic part of the season for Buescher, who finished 11th at Watkins Glen last year and backed it up with a 12th at Sonoma Raceway, the California road course, this June. This came after Buescher’s first XFINITY win came at Mid-Ohio in 2014.
Partnering his success with a talent like Allmendinger, whose background spans to Champ Car, Sports Cars and IndyCar, JTG has been a perfect place to hone Buescher’s road racing skills in NASCAR.
“Since joining JTG, I have one of the best road course racers in our sport on my team,” he said of Allmendinger. “I really lean on AJ a lot for tips and tricks to some of these road course tracks and it has really helped our program to build fast cars and go out and be competitive at these tracks.”
.@Chris_Buescher’s Camaro ZL1 definitely makes you want to #TreatYourself to #LiquidGold this weekend @WGI.
@EatLiquidGold 😏 pic.twitter.com/eYYngN8Z0Y
— Hyak Motorsports (@HYAKMotorsports) July 31, 2018