"I can assure him, it's not BS" - Chris Buescher rejects Kevin Harvick's doubts amid tight playoff race

RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher has responded to Kevin Harvick's recent criticism. Harvick had previously taken aim at Buescher's comments about his playoff chances at Michigan International Speedway, labeling them as "BS."

Last weekend in Michigan, Buescher, who is in a tight battle for a playoff spot, mentioned that he wasn't paying close attention to the points situation and that his focus was on winning races. Harvick criticized the #17 RFK Racing driver on his podcast, calling Buescher's comments "a bunch of sh*t" and suggesting they were just an excuse to avoid media.

Ahead of the Cup race at Daytona, Buescher explained his comments, addressing the strong criticism from Harvick. Buescher reiterated that the #17 RFK Racing team remains focused on winning races rather than playing a conservative game and accumulating points.

Here's what he told Bob Pockrass while speaking to the media at Daytona:

"No, I can assure him it's not BS. It is not something that we put any focus on throughout my career, especially not until it's absolutely necessary. At this point, there are thoughts of what our points situation is and we discussed it a little bit today and last week. We don't start the race thinking about points and how do we just put points up and play conservative, I promise that's not what's going on here."

The 31-year-old RFK Racing driver further mentioned that while he is aware of the points situation, it merely serves as "information" and doesn't influence his race strategy. His primary focus remains on securing a playoff berth through wins.

"I'll defend that one pretty adamantly that I can assure him that it's not BS, and we're not coming here to points race, we're coming here to win races." he added.

With two races remaining in the regular season, Buescher occupies 15th place in the playoff standings, 16 points above the cutline. Having won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 last year, he starts 13th on the grid this Saturday, August 24.

---

What did Kevin Harvick say about Chris Buescher?

In a recent episode of Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour podcast, the former NASCAR champion discussed the tight battle for the final playoff spots. Harvick criticized Chris Buescher for his comments at Michigan, arguing that drivers on the playoff bubble must stay aware of their points situation to secure a playoff berth.

"These guys will all tell you — I heard Chris Buescher say it a hundred times this weekend, ‘Ah, we’re just out here trying to win, we’re trying to do this.’ That’s a bunch of sh*t. You are not out there — you know exactly — if you don’t, it’s your own fault that you don’t know who you’re racing," he said. [at 15:42]

"So, I don’t like hearing all that BS because you need to know. That’s an easy excuse to try to get out of an interview but that’s the most nonsense answer that I’ve ever heard in my life. You know all the scenarios and if you don’t, you’re not paying attention," he added.

Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs currently sit 77 and 39 points above the playoff cutoff, respectively. Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, and Bubba Wallace are engaged in fierce competition for the remaining playoff spots, with just a single point separating Chastain and Wallace.