Chris Buescher’s chance for a playoff spot slipped away at Kansas when Kyle Larson overtook him on the final lap, creating the closest finish in NASCAR history.
Upset by his postseason hopes being dashed again, Buescher had a heated exchange with Tyler Reddick after a late crash at Darlington ruined his chance to win.
Buescher might have been a strong contender for the Cup title if he had made it into the NASCAR playoffs. Instead, Buescher took on the role of spoiler at Watkins Glen on Sunday.
His last-lap pass of road-course specialist Shane van Gisbergen during overtime led Buescher to victory lane.
Buescher finished ahead of five other non-playoff drivers in a race that caused trouble for Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski, and other top contenders.
“We’re going to try to spoil things as much as we can in the next seven or eight weeks,” Buescher said.
While the playoff drivers focus on their championship chances, Buescher enjoyed celebrating his win with an oversized bottle of champagne.
“Looks ridiculous, doesn’t it?” Buescher joked.
Buescher and van Gisbergen battled closely to the finish line on the 2.45-mile road course at The Glen.
Shane van Gisbergen, who won his first NASCAR race last season at the Chicago street race, took the lead from the second row on a three-wide move during an overtime restart.
Chris Buescher, driving the No. 17 Ford, caught up to him and they made contact in the “Bus Stop,” a key part of the track, before Buescher passed van Gisbergen.
“I knew Chris was going to push hard to get past me if he could,” van Gisbergen said. “I turned and got a bit loose, hitting the inside wall. It was my mistake. I’m really disappointed.”
Buescher won the race, which was the second playoff race of the season. Carson Hocevar finished third, with Ross Chastain and Zane Smith following. It was that kind of race.
Buescher, who won three times last season, started from 24th place and earned his sixth career Cup win.
“Not having to worry about points or cutoffs for the playoffs gave us more chances to go for the win,” Buescher said.
He also scored his second playoff upset in three seasons. In 2022, driving for RFK Racing, Buescher won the third playoff race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which was the first time a playoff driver hadn’t won a race in a round under the current format.
Joey Logano won the first playoff race last weekend at Atlanta and is the only driver already assured of moving to the next round.
After a few tough seasons — with no wins from 2017 to 2021 — Buescher has tried not to dwell on the near misses that kept him out of the playoffs this year. He just wanted to savor the victory and the celebration that came with it, like a big bottle of champagne.
“Missing the playoffs was painful,” Buescher said. “It definitely hurt. After such a season with so many close calls, it doesn’t feel good. But winning this race is special for me and for this team. It’s great to see our Mustang in victory lane.”
