To a casual race fan, each of the NASCAR Cup Series ovals may just seem like another set of left turns. But each track has its own set of twists, turns and quirks, and drivers most definitely have their favorite places to go on the long schedule.
For Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing driver Chris Buescher, the “Monster Mile” of Dover Motor Speedway is an old flame that Texas native is always fond of year after year.
Chris Buescher: Starting 18th, Still Feeling Good About Würth 400 at Dover
“I love this racetrack,” Buescher said in the track media center following his 18th-place qualifying effort on April 27. “Concrete’s been good to me throughout the years.”
Of course, Dover is one of the tracks on the circuit with a concrete racing surface. Other concrete tracks include Bristol Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway, where Buescher has also been successful at in the past.
Though Buescher has never won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover, he won here in the Xfinity Series in 2015, “a long time ago now,” as the driver of the No. 17 car put it.
His mid-pack qualifying effort was a bit unexpected. Buescher won the pole for this race in 2022, the first year of the Next-Gen era.
“I felt really, really good about (my lap),” Buescher said, “but then I looked at the charts and it wasn’t even close. It’s just a very tight field; the cars are very tight together.”
Buescher is prepared for the challenge of charging through the field, however. He’ll be looking to continue the streak of T10s at Dover, finishing eighth in 2022 and ninth in 2023. Heading into Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions, Buescher was priced at $8,000 on DraftKings and at 25-1 odds to win the Würth 400, a number that should stay in that range following his results in the time trials.
“We’ve got a little bit of work in the race now,” Buescher said, also noting that the results, weather and temperature environment for the Xfinity Series race would be important to note for the Cup Series. Though it is forecasted to be sunnier for the Cup race on Sunday, knowing how the cars react over an extended period of time will be vital in case the forecast changes.
Regardless, any day Buescher gets to race at Dover seems at least a slightly sunnier outlook for him.
“It’s a really neat racetrack,” Buescher said. “I love this place, it’s so much fun.”
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*Photo Credit: Peter Casey – USA TODAY Sports*