Perhaps the biggest surprise from the 2023 season was the breakout performances from the RFK Racing duo. Chris Buescher and the 17 team especially impressed, winning 3 times and advancing to the Round of 8. Can the team duplicate those results in 2024? Read the season preview for the #17 RFK Racing team below with 34Â Days to Daytona left.
#17 RFK Racing
Driver:Â Chris Buescher
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Sponsors: Fastenal, BuildSubmarines.com, Castrol, 5/3 Bank
2024 Season Preview
Duplicating 2023’s Success
Chris Buescher is coming off back to back seasons with a win. 2023 was clearly his breakout season, especially during the second half. Buescher notched 3 wins at 3 different types of tracks: short track, long intermediate, and superspeedway. Based on what RFK looked like last year, there is little reason to doubt that Buescher can replicate that success this season. Much like Reddick though, the team will have to do it again before being considered a perennial championship contender.
Road Course Ringer
Not since COTA in 2022 has Chris Buescher finished outside the Top-11 on a road course. Especially in the NextGen car, Buescher has established himself as one of the best road course wheelmen. With that said, Buescher’s streak has been absent of race-winning contention. Outside of Sonoma in 2022, Buescher has yet to come close to winning on a road course. Can he change that in 2024?
Focus on Qualifying & Stages
Perhaps the biggest areas of critique from Chris Buescher’s 2023 was his efforts in qualifying and stage racing. His average start for a race was 14.8, which ranked him 13th in the Cup Series. By comparison, his average finish of 12.1 was second best. Those poor qualifying efforts led to poor stage results. Despite a strong average finish, Buescher only ranked 15th in stage points acquired. The lack of stage points/wins hurt Buescher’s chances at advancing to the Championship Four. Stage racing, especially in the playoffs, will be crucial to Buescher’s championship aspirations.
Mr. Consistency
It is difficult to argue that Chris Buescher was not the most consistent driver in the Cup Series last year. As mentioned earlier, his 12.1 average finish was second best and his 32 lead lap finishes led the series. Most impressively, Buescher had a streak of 20 straight Top-20s that spanned from spring Richmond to playoff Kansas. If not for poor pit strategy (Richmond) and bad tire luck (Kansas), that streak could have been extended from Atlanta (Buescher’s lone DNF) to Homestead.
Daytona 500 Chances
As the most recent Daytona winner, Chris Buescher is one of the betting favorites to hoist the Harley J Earl trophy. Not only does RFK Racing bring good pack-racing speed, but the RFK teammates have demonstrated their willingness to commit to each other. Whoever is the lead car in the tandem usually stays there. Buescher locked behind Brad Keselowski in the Daytona 500 last year. Keselowski played lead blocker in the Coke Zero 400. Now, RFK is attempting to have three cars in the Daytona 500 field. If David Ragan is able to secure his spot in the Great American Race, teams might have to pass three teammates to win the Daytona 500.
Speedweeks Outlook
Although the Stewart-Haas Racing Fords qualified well for the 400, the Ford brand usually struggles to find great speed in Daytona 500 qualifying. It would be surprising to see that trend be broken. However, the new body for the Mustang might help. As for Chris Buescher’s duel race, the 17 team has back to back Top-5s (including his 2021 win). Depending on his RFK/Ford help, Buescher could be a threat to win. Based on RFK’s speed at the superspeedways, it does make sense for Buescher to be top-3 in betting odds for the Daytona 500. Although, it might be time for Buescher to repay the favor to his boss.
Previous Days
40-36 Days: 40 – #12, 39 – #5, 38 – #24, 37 – #20, & 36 – #11
35-31 Days: 35 – #45
If Chris has decent equipment he will do fine.