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RFK Racing team driver Chris Buescher earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole on Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway.
Driving the #17 Ford Mustang, Buescher posted the fourth-fastest qualifying time in Group A in Round 1. However, his lap at 160.149 mph held him up to give him his first pole in the 233rd career Cup Series start.
In an interaction with the media, Buescher expressed his feelings about winning his first NASCAR pole and said:
“I guess it is not something that I have ever had a whole lot of emphasis on. At the end of the day it is all about that checkered flag at the end of the race. It is really cool though. It is a special place for me and it is cool to get our first pole here. It has been a long time coming. Heck of a start for us. I am really looking forward to the race tomorrow with our Fastenal Mustang.”
Buescher’s pole win marks the first pole for the RFK Racing team since 2017 at Talladega Superspeedway and the first in a non-superspeedway Cup race for the organization since 2013.
It was also Buescher’s first overall pole win in NASCAR after not earning any in the Xfinity Series.
Chris Buescher’s finishes in the previous 2022 Cup Series races
Chris Buescher is competing in his eighth NASCAR Cup Series. He has had an ordinary 2022 season and has recorded two top-10 finishes so far.
Buescher’s first top-10 finishes came at Ruoff Mortgage 500. His season has also featured subpar performances at the WISE Power 400 and GEICO 500.
His best performance came at the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, where he finished seventh.
Earlier, he put up consistent performances from Las Vegas Motor Speedway to Bristol Motor Speedway. The driver of the #18 Ford Mustang finished 18th, 10th, 7th, 21th, 15th, 15th, 15th, in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta, Austin, Richmond, Martinsville, and Bristol, respectively.
With the previous week’s DNF, the 29-year-old driver stands 20th in the points table standings with 196 points.
The pole winner of DuraMAX Drydene 400 was overtaken by Denny Hamlin on Sunday at 19 laps. After that, the race was postponed to Monday due to rain. The event just completed 78 laps out of 400 laps at Dover Motor Speedway.
