Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing announced Thursday that No. 17 driver Chris Buescher has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event at World Wide Technology Raceway (formerly Gateway Raceway). NASCAR Truck Series front runner Zane Smith will fill in for Buescher, piloting the No. 17 Ford as NASCAR makes its much-anticipated return to WWTR.
Smith has three wins and eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts in the Truck Series this season, having led 253 laps while piloting the No. 38 Ford F-150. He will become the 24th driver to pilot an RFK Ford for Jack Roush in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The team said Buescher expects to return to action next week at Sonoma.
Buescher suffered a wild crash near the end of last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He was checked and cleared shortly after the crash.
— Zane Smith (@zanesmith77) June 3, 2022
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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