Chris Buescher leaves no doubt about his inclination after failing to extract ‘big movement’ from Goodyear’s Phoenix product

RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher posted a season-best finish at the Phoenix Raceway, clinching a solid fifth-place result. The #17 Ford Mustang driver qualified 13th for the Shriners Children's 500 but braved 10 cautions to surge for the remarkable finish.

Like the rest of the field, Buescher's Ford was also fitted with Goodyear's option tires, but his crew made a strategic gamble by installing the red sidewall tires late to the #17. The decision initially left Buescher vulnerable as he helplessly saw the rivals with soft option tires overtake him.

After pitting with the soft tire, the RFK Racing driver experienced increased speed, but he stated that the overall impact wasn't significant. Buescher praised Goodyear's effort while expressing his preference for using a single compound during a race weekend.

"I felt like we were there on the yellows and kept getting run all over by reds, and I was just sitting there waiting our turn. We finally put them on and ended up in a place where it was kind of the same time as everybody else. We didn’t see the big movement, but we had them on at the end when a lot of others ran out. It made it interesting. I am still a proponent of a single tire when we come to a weekend, but Goodyear did a great job. That red tire was a lot of fun," Chris Buescher said via Speedway Digest.

While Buescher secured his season-best finish, his OEM teammate Josh Berry claimed Wood Brothers Racing's first top-5 finish in Phoenix since the team's Cup Series debut in 1953.

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Chris Buescher's Ford teammate opens up about his historic feat for Wood Brothers Racing

Cup Series sophomore Josh Berry replaced Harrison Burton and is running his first season for Wood Brothers Racing. But his season kicked off on a poor note. After 13th and 14th place finishes in the preseason Duels, Berry's #21 Ford struggled to crack the top 20 in the first three races

However, the tables turned at Phoenix's 1-mile oval when Chris Buescher's Ford teammate qualified fourth. The Hendersonville, Tennessee native ran toe-to-toe with NASCAR's elite, maintaining a strong pace through the 312-mile battle.

That resulted in a P4 finish for Berry, and WBR's historic moment came to fruition. Following his exhilarating run, the #21 driver opened up about what he felt about achieving the feat.

"Yeah, I am just honestly so excited. This racetrack was pretty tough for me last year, and these guys have great cars, without a doubt here. That was proven again today, and we executed pretty solidly and was able to get a good finish, which is really good," Berry said via Speedway Digest.

Josh Berry will begin the next race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway ranked 21st, and his OEM teammate Chris Buescher will kick off the race placed 10th in the Cup Series standings.