Chris Buescher top of strong Fords at Phoenix

AVONDALE, Ariz.– Chris Buescher and Ford turned on the speed late as he was top of five Blue Ovals in the top-10 finishing order Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.

Buescher and RFK Racing teammate Brad Keselowski stood tall above all other Ford drivers. Keselowski finished fourth, ahead of Ryan Blaney (fifth), Michael McDowell (eighth) and Chase Briscoe (ninth).

Buescher started 14th but found himself 10th, earning one stage point, as stage two ended.

In the final stage, the third of three quick cautions set up a jumbled-up finishing order. He stayed out and restarted fourth on lap 220.

Buescher held on and even passed Ty Gibbs despite Gibbs having fresher tires. Still, he had a long way to go to get to eventual race winner Christopher Bell.

“Our short run was not our strong suit,” Buescher said. “I could sit here and lie to you but we really came on strong on those longer runs and that’s what we needed there at the end. I have no clue if we were getting any closer to the 20 or not.” 

Buescher couldn’t get to race winner Bell, finishing 5.465 seconds back. However, he was enthusiastic with how he and his team executed the race.

“Great race for us,” Buescher said. “A little bit of adversity along the way and that’s a testament to this team. We were working hard together to make a comeback when needed and worked hard to be fast so an excellent finish.” 

Buescher finished fifth in the Championship race in November. Adding a second-place finish signals a promising trend for Buescher if he can find his way into the Championship Four later this season. 

“Obviously the 20 was lights out fast,” Buescher said. “What I’m happy with is the fact that we were by no means perfect on the balance. In fact we have a lot of room to make this thing better, so that’s awesome. That means we can go up there and fight for that win next go around so big day for us.” 

The field now heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500, with the green flag set to fly at 3:30 p.m. ET.