Chris Buescher took on the role of a spoiler Sunday at Watkins Glen, weeks after missing the NASCAR Playoffs by a razor-thin margin of just .01 seconds at Kansas Speedway. The Roush-Fenway Keselowski Racing driver flipped the script, denying the Playoff field another shot at advancing by snatching the win in a dramatic showdown.
But don’t think for a second that it was easy. Buescher had to survive three late-race restarts, including a heart-stopping Overtime battle with Shane van Gisbergen, arguably one of the finest road course racers NASCAR has to offer right now.
“I thought we lost it there on that last one,” Buescher admitted. “Just, man, to stay right there with him… that was the spot where he was better than us. But he missed it. So I tried to cross over, and, just, hard racing, man. What a finish. We came here to be the spoiler.”
The race took a chaotic turn late in the going, after pit strategy gave Buescher control. Harrison Burton marked the tenth Playoff driver to suffer misfortune when he lost a left rear tire with 11 laps to go, spraying debris all over the track. The caution erased Buescher’s four-second lead, setting up a high-stakes dash to the finish.
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With everything to lose, the top nine drivers stayed out. But those with nothing to lose, led by William Byron and Chase Elliott, gambled for fresh tires. When the green flag waved with seven to go, that gamble backfired in spectacular fashion. Byron found himself caught up in a multi-car mess in the esses, with Joey Logano punting Brad Keselowski into Byron’s Chevy. Byron’s car was launched into the barrier, his day—and Playoff hopes—crushed under the pileup.
And that was just the beginning. Elliott dodged much of the carnage but suffered damage nonetheless, becoming the 12th Playoff driver to have issues. The ensuing restart with three laps left led to another caution when a mid-pack brawl involved the likes of Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., and Josh Berry, set up a thrilling Overtime finish.
Van Gisbergen, having learned his lessons from the earlier restarts, muscled past Buescher and seemed poised to cruise to victory. But as he took the white flag, Buescher wasn’t done. Coming out of the Bus Stop, Buescher latched onto van Gisbergen’s bumper, loosening him just enough through the Carousel to make his move. With only a few turns remaining, Buescher stretched his lead and crossed the line .979 seconds ahead, delivering a masterclass in timing and tenacity.
“I got deeper than I had been,” Buescher recounted. “I knew I had one last shot, and it worked.”
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Van Gisbergen, despite the loss, managed a smile. “I knew Chris was really going to send it. I clipped the inside wall, driver error. I’m gutted, but it was a hell of a race.”
Surprising everyone, Carson Hocevar finished third, while polesitter Ross Chastain, who led 51 laps and won Stage 2, took fourth. Zane Smith rounded out the top five.
With Goodyear bringing a softer tire for this race, teams were expecting grip to “fall off a cliff” and that proved to be the case when Chastain who was in control from just before the end of Stage 2 held the top spot until lap 57 when Buescher on much fresher tires was able to rocket by for the lead.
That set off a flurry of green flag stops as teams were trying to put their drivers back atop the cliff with tires. That led to a long cycle of green flag stops as those who briefly led stayed out hoping for a caution that never came. Finally on lap 74 Buescher held the top spot once more.
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Meanwhile, the Playoff contenders found themselves in a world of hurt. Twelve of the 16 Playoff drivers ran into problems at Watkins Glen, including Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin. Hamlin’s race unraveled right from the start when a chaotic Lap 1 incident saw Kyle Busch spin into him, sending Hamlin to the pits for repairs. Blaney wasn’t as fortunate, breaking his steering column and ending his day early, forcing him to a last-place finish.
The Playoff drama didn’t end there. Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., and Daniel Suarez all faced their share of chaos, while Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick found themselves spinning, colliding, and generally caught up in the race’s madness. In the end, only two Playoff drivers managed to crack the top 10: Chase Briscoe in sixth and Austin Cindric in 10th. in between them Michael McDowell was seventh, Corey Lajoie eighth, and Ryan Preece ninth.
Hamlin finds himself 6 points below the cutoff line, Keselowski 12 points back, Truex 14 and Burton occupies the 16th and final spot 20 points behind.
The Playoffs head to the bullring known as Bristol Motor Speedway for a Saturday night slugfest and he cutoff race for the next round. That’s good news for Denny Hamlin who has won the last two races at the Tennessee short track.
The rest of the Playoff driver’s finishing spots:
- Kyle Larson
- Daniel Suarez
- Christopher Bell
- Joey Logano
- Alex Bowman
- Chase Elliott
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Ty Gibbs
- Denny Hamlin
- Harrison Burton
- Brad Keselowski
- Tyler Reddick
- William Byron
- Ryan Blaney
Playoff Standings after Watkins Glen
1: Joey Logano — 1 win (Atlanta)
2. Christopher Bell — +46 ahead of 13th
3. Austin Cindric — +43
4. Alex Bowman — +41
5. Daniel Suarez — +36
6. Tyler Reddick — +30
7. Chase Elliott — +30
8. Ryan Blaney — +29
9. Kyle Larson — +26
10. William Byron — +25
11. Chase Briscoe +6
12. Ty Gibbs — +6
—————-
13. Denny Hamlin — -6
14. Brad Keselowski — -12
15. Martin Truex Jr. — -14
16. Harrison Burton — -20
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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