“Truly special”: Chris Buescher reflects on snapping 10-year long road course winless streak for RFK Racing

Chris Buescher's win at Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen on Sunday, September 15, was not just special because it was his first win of the season but because it was RFK Racing's first on a road course since 2014. The last road course win for the team was secured by Carl Edwards at Sonoma Raceway 10 years ago.

During his post-race interview, Buescher reflected on the RFK Racing's struggles on road courses. He pointed out that despite coming close in the past, the team could not clinch a victory, which made his win particularly gratifying.

"Truly special for everybody on the 17 team. RFK has worked so hard to road courses and we've been so close so many times to finally pull out. I pull this off and to bring this build buildsubmaries.com Mustang in the victory lane was truly special," he said (via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on X).

Carl Edwards won at the Sonoma road course on June 22, 2014. During the 2014 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma, he led the final 19 laps, securing his 23rd career NASCAR Cup Series win. The victory also marked his first on a road course, his second of that season, and his final conquest with the Roush-Fenway team.

Emulating Edwards' success, Chris Buescher executed a dramatic final-lap pass against Shane van Gisbergen on Sunday. Van Gisbergen, who had started from the second row, made a three-wide maneuver on an overtime restart to seize the lead. Despite this, Buescher pursued and ultimately overtook him in a thrilling bumper-to-bumper contest. Van Gisbergen had also raced at Watkins Glen just the day before in the Xfinity Series, finishing in fifth place after starting 13th.

---

Chris Buescher shares details of his final lap maneuver at Watkins Glen

In the final lap of the race, there was a contact between Chris Buescher's #17 and Van Gisbergen's #16 at the Bus Stop. Subsequently, Buescher steered his car inside Van Gisbergen's on the esses, propelling him to a victory margin of 0.979 seconds.

Reflecting on the decisive lap, Chris Buescher said (via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on X):

"Yeah, that was, there's a lot of fun. [...] Took the white. Got a got out turn one well scene him struggle through the s's a little bit and knew we're gaining into the in the bus stop. It’s not a great passing zone anymore with the way it is my head doesn't hurt as much, but tried to track them down in there and I went to wher by far the deepest I drove in all day and he was still digging." [at 0:41]

"I knew we had a shot at that point and uh... soon get that big slide, went for the crossover and got by on there and the care center was able to run from there. It's a big, um... big win that we really had to fight for there in the closing laps," he added.

Chris Buescher will next compete at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he holds an average finish of 18.5 across 15 starts.