Chris Buescher gets real about the “first priority” as RFK faces NASCAR playoff pressure

Chris Buescher is one of the drivers who hasn’t qualified for the playoffs yet. He sits 10th in the driver standings, and with only two races remaining in the regular season, the RFK Racing driver needs to win to corkscrew his position in the playoffs.

Currently, Buescher owns 618 points with four top-fives and 12 top-10s to his name. In 24 starts, the Mustang maestro has led 38 laps with just one DNF.

Needless to say, making the playoffs solely on points, and this far into the season, doesn’t seem likely. Buescher, who drives the No. 17 full-time, knows that. So the priority, as he mentioned in a recent interview (via NASCAR), is to win a race.

“It’s the same focus every week, figuring out how we can set ourselves up to win a race and be fast,” Chris Buescher said. “Points come with all that stuff. It’s not that we’re just hyper-focused on it. We plan on us being the new winner, that’s the first priority.”

Buescher’s latest win came at Watkins Glen International on September 15, 2024. He is now vying for his seventh NASCAR Cup Series victory, also his maiden win of the 2025 season. Next up for him is Richmond, where he has won previously.

Named Cook Out 400, the 400-lap event is scheduled for Saturday, August 31. Fans can watch it live (7:30 pm ET onwards) on USA or listen to its live radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Buescher will start the race 12th on Row 6 alongside Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon.

---

Chris Buescher sheds light on different 2025 “repercussions”

24 races into the season, RFK Racing has no drivers contending for the championship, and Chris Buescher happens to be the only RFK Racing driver who is placed inside the top 16. It is perhaps not the best position to be in right now.

Buescher was in a similar position last year, and the win at Watkins Glen saved them. But the repercussions are different this year. Detailing more on this, the driver said,

“We needed a win last year for our sanity. For us, the situation [last year] was very much the same internally. But the repercussions are different this year. There are some differences.”

“We know where we are at in the fight for a playoff spot. A win is the way to guarantee your way in but this year we have to be aware of our bubble. As much as I hate to admit that, it is where we have found ourselves,” he added.

If Chris Buescher doesn’t win, he will have to try and get in on points. And if that happens, he will find himself battling his teammate and RFK Racing newcomer Ryan Preece.