Chris Buescher “bummed out” after failing to seize his chance to win the Sonoma Cup Series race 

Chris Buescher weighed on his Sonoma run after victory slipped from his grasp as his #17 Ford settled for a winless outing. The RFK Racing driver was at high odds of acing the Toyota / Save Mart 350 run, but Kyle Larson stole the Cup Series win.

The Sonoma Raceway witnessed several cautions being raised and the field got reset many times. Buescher couldn't showcase a good result during the qualifying run and started the 110-lap dash from the rear of the pack in 26th place. Moreover, he plummeted two places and finished the first stage in P28.

Team 17's early pitstop strategy worked wonders for Buescher and he stayed out during Stage 2 while the majority of the pack pitted for fresher compounds. Thus, the RFK Racing driver jumped from the rear of the pack finish in Stage 1 to reign supreme during the second stage.

With that, Chris Buescher ran among the contenders and hopes for claiming the maiden win this season emerged. However, he was at one disadvantage- Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson pitted for fresh tires and the field stayed green for the last 51 laps. This meant pitting could severely cost Buescher and the Texas native stayed out and battled with comparatively older rubber.

With just nine laps to go and Buescher in the lead, Martin Truex Jr. found his way past the #17 Ford. Kyle Larson outperformed the RFK Racing driver on the next lap and dethroned him from his possible maiden win this season.

Chris Buescher reflected on his run and highlighted that his inability to hold the lead and old tires cost him the win, despite his team's remarkable strategy,

"It was really good strategy on the day and an awesome finish. I wasn’t quite able to hold the lead there and that bums me out. I was trying. Ultimately, we started deep in the field, and it was going to be hard to make it work, but Scott (Graves, crew chief) and our group did a fantastic job. They played it well and got us up front," Buscher said via motorsport.com

“We got a stage win, a playoff point, but ultimately there at the end I wasn’t able to hold on. If that was just a little bit of tire difference late in the run or how hard I ran at the beginning I’m not sure," the RFK Racing driver added.

"Hurts to see"- When Chris Buescher lost the battle for win by 0.001 seconds at Kansas Speedway

During the Advent Health 400 hosted by the Kansas Speedway, Chris Buescher's #17 Ford was about to seal the first win as a manufacturer this season. Still, the hard-charging #5 Chevrolet tamed by Kyle Larson was there to disrupt the RFK Racing driver's pursuit.

Chris Buescher battled through seven cautions and 27 lead changes during the 268-lap run. The #17 Ford entered the final lap as the leader Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson right behind him. However, during the final lap battle against Larson, the doors of Ford and Chevrolet banged and Buecher lost a bit of pace while the #5 driver gained.

As a result, the HMS driver sealed his second victory, but Buescher succumbed to a runner-up finish by a whisker margin of 0.001 seconds. The RFK driver expressed his disappointment, saying.

“I felt like I was pretty defensive on it and was going to make a drag race coming to the finish line and got to banging doors a little bit and lost some momentum,” Buescher said. “I was aggressive trying to cover it and needed to draft to keep speed up down the straightaway for us. Watching the replay, I just can’t see it right now. I’m sure it will come in. It hurts to see the pylon say we get it and then not,” via NASCAR.

Chris Buescher is currently placed 13th and needs at least one win to lock his spot in the playoffs.