RFK Racing teammates Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher did not get off to a smooth start during their preparations for Sunday’s Chicago Street Race for the NASCAR Cup Series.
In regard to their time spent turning simulator laps on the 12-turn, 2.2-mile circuit, both drivers hit the wall — literally — during their early runs.
“I watched him (Buescher) run for 10 or 20 laps and not really hit a wall. Then I went out there, and I think I hit every one of them,” Keselowski said.
However, Buescher admitted he wasn’t quite as flawless as RFK’s co-owner thought.
“I got there several hours before he did, and I hit every wall before that. It made it look good by that time,” Buescher said. “I think we definitely have ideas about places that make us a little bit nervous on-track. They’re going to be snug.”
If his road course results earlier this season carry any weight in Chicago, the No. 17 Ford Mustang driver should be able to sleep easy on Saturday night. He finished eighth at Texas’ Circuit of the Americas and fourth at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
“Somehow or another, with road racing, I found my name in the hat more than I ever anticipated,” Buescher said.
However, the limited — and in some cases nonexistent — run-off along the edges of the Chicago street circuit will make the course quite different than what’s Buescher experienced at COTA and Sonoma.
“There are two places here I think that have a minute amount of run-off room,” Buescher said. “Everywhere else, the track limits are white line to white line, basically.”
Luckily, neither RFK Racing entry found the fence during Saturday’s qualifying session. Keselowki and Buescher will both start in the top 20 during the Grant Park 220 on Sunday, with the No. 17 lining up 15th and the No. 6 starting from 20th.
While Buescher appears to be in familiar territory turning left and right, Keselowksi, who has gone winless at road courses throughout the span of his 15-year Cup Series career, feels he has something to prove.
“Chris (Buescher), it comes natural to him. It gives him such a huge advantage and puts him in a spot where he can take a weekend like this,” Keselowski said. “He’s got the natural talent to be able to pick these tracks up, immediately dissect them and figure out what he needs to go faster and not put himself in risky positions.
“That doesn’t come as easily for me as I would have liked it to, but ultimately, I still have a lot of opportunities in front of me, and I’m going to continue to grind, put the effort in and hope for the result.”
But Keselowski also has the big picture in mind.
Both RFK Racing cars are currently on the bubble of the playoff cutline.
Keselowki’s No. 6 Ford holds 11th at 97 points above the cutoff, while Buescher is 12th and 96 points in the clear.
“We have basically a two-car cushion with the playoffs — that’s the way they work,” Keselowski said. “We look at these next nine weeks, and we’d like to win. In the absence of that, we need to be really perfect. We need to capitalize on the opportunities in front of us and avoid any pitfalls or mistakes.
“Looking at that, it’s a tense few weeks.”
The Grant Park 220 will commence at 5:30 p.m. (ET) in Chicago on Sunday.