CONCORD, N.C. — Chris Buescher can’t believe he’s about to make his 400th career NASCAR Cup Series start.
“How did that happen?” he asked, genuinely surprised at how quickly the time has passed since his 2015 debut.
When the green flag waves on Sunday in Martinsville Buescher will reach that milestone. A moment twelve seasons in the making, after a journey that began almost as surprisingly for Buescher as it had gone by.
In the midst of his 2015 Xfinity Series Championship season Buescher got, “the call.” And it wasn’t one he was expecting. Just about to dig into a stack of pancakes at a southern California breakfast spot, Robbie Rieser, who was the general manager of what was then known as Roush Fenway Racing, helped arrange an opportunity for Buescher with fellow Ford Racing team Front Row Motorsports.
“He said, ‘hey, I need you at the track four hours ago.’ I was like, ‘OK I’ll pay and get out of here,’” recalls Buescher.
Only 22 years old at the time, and realizing the opportunity, Buescher heeded the call to substitute for Brett Moffitt in the No. 34 car at California Speedway that weekend. Although he had firmly established himself as one of the sports young talents at the time, this was a race where he felt the magnitude of the moment.
“I’m not a big fan boy but when I passed him, I was like, damn that’s Jeff Gordon. That’s pretty cool,” said Buescher, who finished 20th that day. “I thought it was a pretty good day all things considered. We didn’t tear anything up. We had speed. There was something that clicked on that day.”
The audition was a clear success. Buescher earned five more starts that season and, on loan from Roush Fenway, was presented with a full-time opportunity with Front Row in 2016.
Just 27 starts into his career, Buescher found victory lane at Pocono Raceway, winning a fog shortened race. He remembers his crew chief, Bob Osborne facetiously asking, while running laps under caution and NASCAR contemplating stopping the race, how the visibility was. Buescher responded, perhaps too honestly, saying it wasn’t too bad but immediately regretted his answer.
“I was just happy to be leading a cup race but as soon as I released the button, I said oh damn, wrong answer.” Buescher said with a laugh. “The next lap, going down the straightaway I was like man it’s getting really bad.”
Soon after, NASCAR did halt the race, and the win propelled Buescher’s career. That day opened the door to so much more for the Prosper, Texas, native. He is more confident and more accomplished. He has since claimed 5 additional Cup Series wins. But as he heads to Martinsville this weekend in the Kroger / Nerds Gummy Cluster’s Ford Mustang, Buescher says he’s far from the finish line.
“It’s cool to say that you’ve earned your place and have the right to be here for 400 starts,” Buescher says, explaining that his next milestone start may come as much of a surprise to him as this one has. “Whether it’s another 100 or 400. We’re not gonna count them down. I’ve not counted them to this point and I’m not going to count them beyond.”
