Denny Hamlin understands Chris Buescher’s frustration. The No. 17 RFK Racing team experienced disappointment for the second consecutive race. Two weeks ago in Kansas, Buescher narrowly lost the race by a margin of 0.001 seconds in a fierce battle on the final lap. Last Sunday in Darlington, his race was ruined by an incident with 10 laps to go.
Tyler Reddick made a “very aggressive” move to take the lead, resulting in contact between him and Buescher as they entered the turn. This contact caused Buescher’s car to hit the wall, causing more damage. He was forced to pit and ended up finishing in 30th place. Reddick’s team owner addressed the incident on his podcast.
Hamlin, a veteran of Joe Gibbs Racing, understands why Buescher was emotionally upset and confronted Reddick. He believes Buescher’s disappointment comes from missing out on two consecutive opportunities to win and secure his spot in the top 16. Hamlin suggests that Buescher would feel better if he had finished in second place.
Regarding Buescher’s comments to Reddick, the owner of 23XI Racing noted that Buescher was expressing his frustration with his position in the standings. Hamlin explained that Buescher was reminding Reddick that a win would mean more to him than an additional win for Reddick.
While Buescher has every right to be disappointed with his final position, there are also reasons for him to be optimistic. His teammate Brad Keselowski won the race, and the No. 17 team has been competitive in the last two races. This performance should give Buescher confidence for the next race.
