Chris Buescher makes stance clear on 2025 NASCAR playoff hopes: “We’re in a must-win situation”

Chris Buescher finished second last weekend at the Michigan International Speedway. The 32-year-old driver felt that he had missed an opportunity during the FireKeepers 400 race, as he had the fastest car and could have clinched the victory. Overall, RFK Racing had a great weekend last time around at the track as all three of their cars finished inside the top ten. Ryan Preece finished ninth in the race and Brad Keselowski finished tenth after an unfortunate pit lane speeding penalty.

Chris Buescher recently shared his comments and analysis of his playoff hopes for the season ahead of the Viva Mexico 250 race scheduled over the next weekend. He said (via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio):

"We will do everything we can to maximize our days... We are in a must-win situation. We have been right above that cut line as we've gotten to the closing races of the regular season, and we've had new winners pop in from deep in the points to right there that we were racing against. We've had fuel mileage races that yield surprise winners.

"There are two or three cars that get in on points, and if you're not the absolute best of those cars, then you better plan on winning a race. And I believe that's where we're at right now, because it is just way too close... So we better plan on getting our stuff together and putting this thing in the victory lane."

Buescher is currently ranked 12th in the NASCAR Cup Series rankings for this season. He has scored 342 points this season, finishing twice in the top five and seven times in the top ten.

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Kevin Harvick elaborates on Chris Buescher's disappointment after Michigan

Chris Buescher was surprisingly disappointed after his second-place finish at the Firekeepers Casino 400 race last Sunday. The 32-year-old racing driver started from sixth on the grid and even led 13 laps during the race.

The RFK racing team driver had led only two laps previously in the season. Kevin Harvick reacted to Buescher's disappointment and expressed that he understands his position. He said (via the Happy Hour podcast):

"I get his disappointment. When you have a car like that and you don’t capitalize on it, you don’t get those very often. He saw that last year when he had those opportunities where he didn’t capitalize and it cost him the playoff position that he needed and didn’t get himself to where he ultimately wanted to be at the end of the year."

NASCAR: Chris Buescher - Source: Imagn

The memories of last season would still be fresh in Buescher's mind, as multiple wins got away from him and he ended up failing to qualify for the playoffs. Looking at his current form, he would look to clinch a victory as soon as possible to secure his place in the playoffs for this season.