Chris Buescher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chris Buescher
Buescher at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025
Born	Christopher William Buescher (1992-10-29) October 29, 1992 (age 32) Prosper, Texas, U.S.
Achievements	2012 ARCA Racing Series Champion 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion 2022 Bluegreen Vacations Duel winner
Awards	2011 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Cup Series career
329 races run over 10 years
Car no., team	No. 17 (RFK Racing)
2024 position	17th
Best finish	7th (2023)
First race	2015 Auto Club 400 (Fontana)
Last race	2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix)
First win	2016 Pennsylvania 400 (Pocono)
Last win	2024 Go Bowling at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles 6 70 1
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
74 races run over 4 years
2015 position	1st
Best finish	1st (2015)
First race	2011 Bubba Burger 250 (Richmond)
Last race	2015 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead)
First win	2014 Nationwide Children's Hospital 200 (Mid-Ohio)
Last win	2015 Buckle Up 200 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles 3 36 0
Statistics current as of November 10, 2024.

Christopher William Buescher (born October 29, 1992) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He drives the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing. Chris is a two-time champion, winning the 2012 ARCA Racing Series and 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series titles. He is also the cousin of James Buescher, who won the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.

Chris Buescher's Racing Journey

Early Racing Days

Buescher's 2013 ARCA car at Road America

Chris Buescher started his racing career in 2005. He drove "Legends cars" in Texas and won over 100 races. In 2008, he moved to North Carolina to learn from NASCAR Cup Series driver David Ragan. Chris then joined Roush Fenway Racing as a young driver they helped train.

He started racing in the ARCA series in 2009. In 2012, he won the ARCA series championship. He was the only driver ever to finish every single lap in a season in that series.

Xfinity Series Success

Chris Buescher first raced in NASCAR in 2011, competing in two races in the Nationwide Series (now called the Xfinity Series). He returned in 2013 for seven more races.

In 2014, Buescher became a full-time driver in the Nationwide Series. He drove the No. 60 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. He had a strong first year, finishing second at Talladega and fifth at New Hampshire. On August 16, he earned his first career win at Mid-Ohio.

Winning the Xfinity Championship

Buescher continued to drive the No. 60 Ford in 2015, when the series was renamed the Xfinity Series. He started the season with a second-place finish at Daytona. He then finished fourth at Atlanta, tying for the points lead.

He won his second career Xfinity race at Iowa Speedway. He passed Chase Elliott on the last restart to take the win. Two weeks later, he won again at Dover.

In the final race of 2015, Buescher won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. He finished 11th in the race at Homestead Miami Speedway. This win made him the champion, beating out other top drivers like Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon.

NASCAR Cup Series Journey

Starting with Front Row Motorsports (2015–2016)

Buescher's 2016 Cup car at Dover International Speedway

Buescher made his first Cup Series start in 2015. He drove the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports at Fontana. He finished 20th in that race. He raced in five more Cup races that year.

In 2016, Buescher moved up to the Sprint Cup Series full-time. He continued to drive the No. 34 car for Front Row Motorsports. The team also partnered with Roush Fenway.

His season had some tough moments, including big crashes at Daytona and Talladega. At Talladega, his car flipped three times, but he was not hurt.

Things improved for Buescher later in the season. He finished 14th at the Brickyard 400. One week later, at Pocono, Buescher took the lead in the Pennsylvania 400. A thick fog covered the track, and NASCAR stopped the race. This gave Buescher his first NASCAR Cup Series victory! He was the first rookie since 2009 to win a Cup Series race.

Even with the win, Buescher needed to be in the Top 30 in points to qualify for the playoffs (called the Chase back then). He finished fifth at Bristol, which moved him into 30th place. He then moved to 29th at Richmond, securing his spot in the Chase. He was eliminated after the first round of the playoffs.

Racing with JTG Daugherty Racing (2017–2019)

On November 29, 2016, Buescher moved to JTG Daugherty Racing. He took over the No. 37 car.

In 2017, Buescher had some good finishes. He got his first Top 10 finish with JTG at Daytona, finishing 10th. His teammate also finished in the Top 10, which was a first for the team.

In 2018, Buescher earned two Top 5 finishes, both at Daytona. He ended the season 24th in points.

Buescher's 2019 Cup car at Richmond Raceway

In 2019, Buescher had his first back-to-back Top 10 finishes in the Cup Series. He finished 10th at Kansas Speedway and sixth at the 2019 Coca-Cola 600. On September 25, 2019, Roush Fenway Racing announced that Buescher would return to their team in 2020, driving the No. 17 Ford.

Returning to RFK Racing (2020–Present)

Buescher's 2020 Cup car at Daytona International Speedway

Buescher started the 2020 season strong with a third-place finish at the 2020 Daytona 500. He earned a career-high eight Top 10 finishes that season, doubling his previous best. He finished 21st in points.

In 2021, Buescher showed more consistent finishes. He finished second at the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. However, his car did not pass a post-race inspection, so he was disqualified.

Buescher’s No. 17 car at Sonoma Raceway in 2022

The 2022 season saw Buescher get his first career Cup Series pole position at Dover. At the Coca-Cola 600, he was in a scary crash where his car rolled five times. Luckily, he was able to walk away safely. He missed one race after testing positive for COVID-19. A week later, he returned and finished second at Sonoma. Even though he didn't make the playoffs, Buescher won his second career Cup race at the Bristol night race. This win ended a 222-race winless streak for him and a five-year drought for his team.

The 2023 season was Buescher's best yet. He started with a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Daytona 500. He won at Richmond, which secured his spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. He then won the very next week at Michigan, marking the first time RFK Racing had won two races in a row since 2010. He scored his third win of the season at the Daytona night race. Buescher made it to the Round of 8 in the playoffs, a career first. He finished a career-best seventh in the points standings, with three wins, nine top-five finishes, and 17 top-ten finishes.

In the 2024 season, Buescher finished second at Kansas Speedway by just 0.001 seconds. This was the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history! He also won at Watkins Glen after another driver had trouble on the final lap.

The 2025 season has also seen some action for Buescher. He finished 10th at the 2025 Daytona 500. After the Kansas race, his team received a penalty because of a car part that was not allowed. The penalty included losing points and a fine. However, after an appeal, the penalty was reduced.

Personal Life

Chris Buescher got married in 2018. In December 2022, he and his wife, Emma, welcomed their first child, a daughter named Charley. Chris and Emma live on a small farm near New London, North Carolina. They have many pets and enjoy outdoor activities. They also volunteer with the local humane society in Albemarle.

Motorsports Career Summary

Stock Car Career Overview

^† As Buescher was running for points in the Xfinity series, he was not eligible for championship points in the Cup series.