Chris Buescher may have missed the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, but he delivered a statement win at Watkins Glen, capitalizing on a rare mistake by road course maestro Shane van Gisbergen in the final moments. Buescher’s victory came after slipping through multiple near-wins this season, including the closest finish in NASCAR history at Kansas in May, and being wrecked while in contention at Darlington. His win on Sunday, though not securing him a playoff spot, was a triumph of redemption.
Buescher’s win, his first road course victory, came after van Gisbergen, who dominated the race, ran wide at the Bus Stop chicane on the final lap. Buescher seized the opportunity, overtaking van Gisbergen and holding off a late charge to cross the line first. It was a moment of vindication for Buescher, who had led 18 laps earlier in the race but found himself chasing the dominant New Zealander in the closing stages.
For van Gisbergen, who had been flawless until the final lap, it was a rare error. Buescher’s crew chief, Scott Graves, didn’t see the comeback coming, admitting he was surprised when Buescher closed the gap so suddenly.
“I was like, ‘Oh, okay. I didn’t know we were getting back to him,’” Graves said, recalling the moment Buescher made his decisive move. Despite the collision that followed, Buescher kept it clean enough to secure victory, leaving van Gisbergen to rue his mistake.
Buescher’s win comes after a series of missed opportunities earlier in the season. His heartbreak at Kansas, where he lost by the narrowest margin in NASCAR history, and his unfortunate crash at Darlington seemed to suggest a season of what-ifs. But at Watkins Glen, Buescher finally capitalized, proving he could still play spoiler in the post-season even if he isn’t in the championship hunt.
“We would have liked to have won a couple of weeks ago, but this is huge,” Buescher said after the race. “To finally get a road course win, after being so close so many times, it’s fantastic.”
For the playoff contenders, Buescher’s win holds significant weight. With Joey Logano already locked into the Round of 12 after his Atlanta win, other playoff drivers, including Chase Briscoe and Austin Cindric, scrambled to capitalize on their rivals’ misfortunes. Both drivers placed in the top 10, propelling them up the standings. Briscoe now sits 11th, while Cindric, with back-to-back tenth-place finishes, is comfortably third.
However, it was a disastrous day for reigning champion Ryan Blaney, who was taken out in a first-lap crash, and for Hendrick Motorsports, as last year’s Watkins Glen winner William Byron suffered a late accident, and two-time winner Chase Elliott finished a quiet 19th.
Despite being out of title contention, Buescher is eager to disrupt the playoff picture further, embracing the role of spoiler in the remaining races.
“Our sport is not like others,” Buescher said. “We race the same drivers and teams every week, no matter if there’s a playoff going on or not. We’re here to race to win. We’re going to play spoiler as much as we can in the next seven or eight weeks.”
Buescher now sets his sights on Bristol, a track he calls his favorite, where he hopes to continue upsetting the playoff contenders. With the chaotic nature of NASCAR’s playoff format, Buescher’s ability to steal wins may prove pivotal in determining this season’s champion.
For now, Chris Buescher has proven that, playoffs or not, he’s still a force to be reckoned with.
