25 races into the season, Chris Buescher sits 11th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings. The way things are right now, the RFK Racing driver needs to win to make the playoffs.Buescher, who drives the No. 17 full-time, had a disappointing 30th-place finish in last Saturday’s Cup race at Richmond Raceway. It wasn’t the finish he was looking for, and needless to say, it puts him in a tight spot heading to Daytona for next week’s race.Well, that race is Buescher’s last hope to qualify for the postseason this year. Packing speed at Daytona is a gamble in itself, and the Ford icon knows that. Reflecting on the same during a recent interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX, Buescher said,“We are in a must-win (situation) heading into Daytona, which is a terrible spot to be in... I know we'll be fast, but it's just one of those, so many wild things can happen... random things can happen. We'll certainly regroup from this one.” (0:22 onwards)Chris Buescher hasn’t won in over 30 races now. His teammate and RFK Racing owner, Brad Keselowski, is also one of the full-time Cup Series drivers still vying for their maiden win of the 2025 season.Next up is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The 400-lap event is scheduled for Saturday, August 23, and will be televised on Peacock (7:30 pm ET onwards) with exclusive radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.Back when NASCAR penalized Chris Buescher at KansasChris Buescher and the No. 17 team were slammed with a post-race penalty at Kansas back in May. Per reports, his car was not assembled properly throughout the 267-lap race that Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson won.Buescher was docked 60 driver and owner points, pushing him from 12th to 28th in the driver standings. Additionally, his team was charged a $75,000 fine, and his crew chief, Scott Graves, was handed a two-race suspension.However, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel found that the No. 17 team had violated the rule regarding the front bumper cover but not the exhaust panel cover. On appeal, NASCAR reduced the points penalty to 30. The suspension for Buescher’s crew chief, however, was upheld.“We appreciate the opportunity to present our case to the National Motorsports Appeals Panel today and are pleased that the panel overturned one of the two assessed penalties,” RFK Racing said in a statement. “Our goal is to always comply fully with the letter of the NASCAR Rule Book, and our focus is now looking forward to competing for a win in Nashville this weekend.”It has been 13 races since then, and Chris Buescher hasn’t been able to bag a win. Thus, whatever happens at Daytona this coming Saturday will decide Buescher’s playoff journey.