Chris Buescher reveals the crucial factor that led Denny Hamlin’s Toyota to prevail over his ‘definitely faster’ Ford

Chris Buescher finished sixth at Homestead-Miami Speedway but failed to pass Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota despite running a "definitely faster" car. He revealed that Hamlin made critical defensive moves that blocked passing lanes.

Buescher is one of the three drivers at RFK Racing, a Ford-affiliated team co-owned by Brad Keselowski. The former led the Blue Oval camp at the Miami track in sixth followed by teammate Ryan Preece in ninth.

Speaking about his No. 17 Ford Mustang, Chris Buescher said:

"We used this Kroger/Farm Rich Ford Mustang up today, but it was a pretty fun day. We made some progress on it, but we still have some tweaks to be better. We'll work on that, but this was a pretty solid Homestead given where we were the last go-round." (via Speedway Digest)

"The team made some good adjustments and we had a strong restart and was able to hang on. I wish we could have gotten one more," he added.

With Denny Hamlin successfully defending his position, Buescher couldn't make a clean pass in a faster car for what could've been his second top-5 finish.

"We were definitely faster than the 11, but we were kind of stuck in one lane and it's the lane he [Denny Hamlin] wanted to run too. I just couldn't find a lane to get by, but, overall, it's good to be that fast down here. I'm excited," Buescher concluded.

Chris Buescher drives the No. 17 Ford Mustang for RFK Racing - Source: Imagn

The Straight Talk 400 at Homestead-Miami witnessed Kyle Larson winning his first race of the season. He was followed by Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, and Chase Briscoe, with Denny Hamlin rounding the top five.

Chris Buescher, who started 11th, crossed the line in sixth ahead of AJ Allmendinger, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece, and Justin Haley. Meanwhile, team boss and fellow RFK Racing driver Brad Keselowski was down in 26th place.

The sixth-place finish at Homestead is Buescher's fourth top-10 finish for the 2025 campaign. His best result came at Phoenix Raceway where he finished fifth.

---

"It's hard to get a true read": Chris Buescher on team form after Phoenix race

Chris Buescher may be having a strong start but felt unsure about RFK Racing's true standings. The Texas native said that while he was proud of the No. 17 team, it was "hard" to predict how his season could unfold early in the year.

Following a fifth-place finish in the Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway, Buescher said (via PRN):

"Early in the season it's hard to get a true read. I'm proud of what we've done but it's hard to say where we are on the whole."

This season marks the expansion of RFK Racing to three entries bolstered by a massive sponsorship deal with Kroger. Ryan Preece joined the Concord-based outfit over the off-season after driving for the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing team for two years.

While both Buescher and Preece have at least one top-5 and one top-10 in six races (including Homestead-Miami), Brad Keselowski has yet to finish within the top 10.