Chris Buescher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chris Buescher
Buescher at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024
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. Chris drives the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing. He 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. He won over 100 races with Speedway Legends. In 2008, Chris moved to North Carolina. There, he was mentored by NASCAR driver David Ragan. He also joined Roush Fenway Racing as a young driver.

Chris began racing in the ARCA series in 2009. He became the series champion in 2012. He made history by completing every single lap in that season. No other driver had done that before in the ARCA series.

Xfinity Series Champion

Chris first raced in NASCAR in 2011. He drove in two races in the Nationwide Series for Roush Fenway Racing. He returned to the series in 2013, racing in seven events.

In 2014, Chris started racing full-time in the Nationwide Series. He drove the No. 60 Ford. He had a strong first year, with several top-10 finishes. Chris earned his first career win at Mid-Ohio on August 16.

For 2015, the series was renamed the Xfinity Series. Chris continued to drive the No. 60 Ford. He started the season with a second-place finish at Daytona. He then won his second career race at Iowa Speedway. Two weeks later, he won again at Dover.

In the final race of 2015, Chris won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. He finished 11th in the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Chris held off other top drivers to claim the title.

Cup Series Adventures

Joining Front Row Motorsports

Buescher's 2016 Cup car at Dover International Speedway

Chris made his first NASCAR Cup Series start in 2015. He drove the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports. In December 2015, it was announced he would race full-time in the Cup Series in 2016.

His 2016 season had some tough moments. He was involved in big crashes at Daytona and Talladega. At Talladega, his car flipped three times, but he was not hurt.

Things changed at Pocono. Chris took the lead during the Pennsylvania 400. A thick fog then covered the track. NASCAR had to stop the race early because of the fog and bad weather. This gave Chris his first Cup Series victory! He became the first rookie since 2009 to win a Cup Series race. This win also ended a five-year winless streak for his team. Chris then secured his spot in the playoffs by finishing fifth at Bristol.

Moving to JTG Daugherty Racing

On November 29, 2016, Chris moved to JTG Daugherty Racing. He took over the No. 37 car. In 2017, he earned his first top-10 finish with the team at Daytona. Both JTG Daugherty cars finished in the top 10 for the first time.

In 2018, Chris had two top-5 finishes at Daytona. He ended the season 24th in points. In 2019, he had his first back-to-back top-10 finishes. On September 25, 2019, it was announced Chris would return to Roush Fenway Racing for 2020.

Back with RFK Racing

Buescher's 2020 Cup car at Daytona International Speedway

Chris started the 2020 season strong with a third-place finish at the 2020 Daytona 500. He had a career-high eight top-10 finishes that year. In 2021, he continued to show consistent performance. He finished second at Daytona, but his car was disqualified after the race.

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

The 2022 season saw Chris earn his first career Cup Series pole at Dover. He was involved in a scary crash at the Coca-Cola 600, where his car rolled five times. Luckily, he walked away unharmed. Chris missed one race due to COVID-19. He then scored his second career win at the Bristol night race. This win ended a 222-race winless streak for him.

The 2023 season was Chris's best yet. He finished fourth at the 2023 Daytona 500. He won at Richmond, securing his first playoff spot since 2016. Chris then won the very next week at Michigan. This was the first time RFK Racing had won two races in a row since 2010. He also won the Daytona night race. Chris made it to the Round of 8 in the playoffs. He finished a career-best seventh in the points standings. He had three wins, nine top-five finishes, and 17 top-ten finishes.

In 2024, Chris finished second at Kansas Speedway by just 0.001 seconds. This was the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history! He later won at Watkins Glen after a dramatic final lap.

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 in North Carolina. They have many pets and enjoy outdoor activities. They also volunteer with their local humane society.

Motorsports Career Summary

Stock car career summary

^† As Buescher was running for points in the Xfinity series, he was ineligible for championship points in the Cup series.