2022 will be pivotal season for Chris Buescher

Chris Buescher at the wheel of his RFK Racing Ford during a NASCAR Next Gen test(Photo: Getty Images)

At the end of the 2021 NASCAR season it was announced that championship winning driver Brad Keselowski would be leaving Team Penske to take on the role of driver and co-owner of the newly rebranded Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing operation. And as a result, a number of changes have already been made as that organization makes its preparations for the upcoming 2022 campaign. New people have been brought into the fold and some longtime members of that company’s staff have been moved to new positions.

One person that remains in the same position he held prior to Keselowski’s arrival is the driver of the No. 17 Ford Mustang. Chris Buescher is coming off of a season that ended well as he posted four top-12 finishes over the final six NASCAR Cup Series races of 2021, including a third-place effort in the Bank of America Roval 400 on the road course located inside the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Buescher seemingly came very close to earning his way into the NASCAR Playoffs by winning the final cutoff race at the Daytona International Speedway. Unfortunately for the driver and his crew, what at first appeared to be a second-place finish was wiped away when the car was disqualified for a track bar infraction.

With five races remaining in the 2021 season, crew chief Scott Graves moved from the No. 6 car of Ryan Newman to lead Buescher’s effort. It was with the new pit boss that the No. 17 car achieved three of those four top-12 results at the end of the year.

More than that, Buescher and Graves have a past history of success together as the duo teamed together to win two races and the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship for Roush Fenway Racing. Graves went on to also win the 2016 Xfinity Series title with driver Daniel Suarez while preparing Toyotas for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Aside from his Xfinity achievements, Buescher also won an ARCA Menards Series title in 2012. And on the NASCAR Cup Series side of things, he triumphed in a NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway back in 2016 while piloting a car for Front Row Motorsports.

Buescher also spent three seasons driving for JTG-Daugherty Motorsports between 2017 and 2019 before landing with Roush Fenway Racing in 2020.

Chris Buescher(R) and new teammate Brad Keselowski(Photo: @Chris_Buescher on Twitter)

Along with being reunited with a crew chief that helped him accomplish great things in a lower division, Buescher could also benefit greatly from having Keselowski there to serve as both a teammate and a mentor. As an example of how the veteran driver can aid a younger teammate, look at what happened to Joey Logano’s career after he came from Joe Gibbs Racing to Team Penske as he went from an unfulfilled talent to a champion over a relatively short period of time.

This is not to say that Buescher will or won’t become a NASCAR Cup Series champion because of being paired with Keselowski but it is to say that having such a leader to point the way will almost certainly help him rise to a higher level.

According to the Jayski.com website, the 29-year-old driver’s contract with RFK Racing is set to expire at the end of the 2022 season. For that reason, this will be a pivotal year in the career of the Prosper, Texas racer as a successful effort would no doubt put him in a stronger position when it comes time to negotiate for a new contract with either his current team or a new one. And along with that, he would be able to establish himself as a legitimate front runner at the sport’s top level.

The pieces are in place for Chris Buescher to have one of if not the best season of his NASCAR Cup Series career. And 2022 would be a great time for him to do it with all that could potentially be on the line for him personally.

Richard Allen is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association

Respond to this piece on Twitter –> @RichardAllenIDR 

or on Facebook –> InsideCircleTrack/Facebook

Comments are closed.