NASCAR Barometer: Chris Buescher Grabs Bristol Victory

Chris Buescher led 169 laps Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway to grab his second NASCAR Cup Series win. The victory also made him the 19th different winner this season and meant that non-playoff drivers swept race wins in the opening round of eliminations for the first time since the format was introduced. It has been an unpredictable season for many reasons, but Buescher's visit to Victory Lane should not have come as a surprise. The RFK Racing driver has had sniffs of Victory Lane multiple times this year and finally got the breaks he needed to make that elusive win a reality Saturday night at Bristol. It was the first victory for Roush since Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took the team to Victory Lane at Daytona in 2017 and the first points win for the team since Brad Keselowski joined in the offseason as a driver owner for the rebranded RFK Racing team. 

With all the playoff contenders locked out of Victory Lane in three-race round of 16 the battle to advance was one of points. Christopher Bell was the only driver to enter Bristol secure in the round of 12, while every other driver had work to do to get through. The night's avalanche of tire failures and crashes made for a dramatic conclusion to the round with some surprise eliminations. Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch and Tyler Reddick all failed to advance. The remaining 12 playoff contenders all had their points reset as they gear up for the next three-race round that kicks off this week at Texas Motor Speedway. Ryan Blaney won the All-Star Race at the track earlier this year, but it was Kyle Larson who went to Victory Lane in the race last season. Both remain in the championship hunt, but can either get the win that would put themselves among the final eight?

UPGRADE

Chris Buescher – Buescher has had chances to win in 2022, and Saturday night he converted the latest of those into his second career victory. The RFK Racing teammates were both fast throughout the night, too. Buescher started the race 20th but grabbed stage points in the first segment and took the lead for the first time on lap 130. He went on to lead 108 laps in that run before relinquishing the top spot again to Christopher Bell. Buescher wasn't to be denied, though. He regained the lead when Bell suffered one of the night's many flat tires, and Buescher never looked back after that. He led the final 61 laps to score the win that made him the 19th different winner this season. Buescher is enjoying the step forward in competitiveness RFK Racing has taken and more victories could be in his future if his current form continues.

Christopher Bell – The only playoff driver locked into the next round prior to Bristol enjoyed the absence of pressure and picked up the stage 2 win to boot. Bell enjoyed a relatively trouble-free race as other playoff contenders faltered. The only issue Bell suffered might have cost him the win, though. It was one of the many flat tires on the night, dropping him from the lead with less than 70 laps remaining. Luck was on his side when the issue brought out a caution and stopped him from potentially falling off of the lead lap. Once the caution ended and other drivers made their pit stops, the No. 20 found himself back among the top five as the final miles clicked away. He finished the night fourth, and he'll be hoping that the fortunate break that came his way Saturday isn't needed again in the next round of elimination races.

Chase Elliott – After a rough start to the playoffs, Elliott may be rediscovering his form. His round of 16 started with a 36th-place finish at Darlington, eliminating much of the initial points advantage he gained from the playoff points reset. He rebounded relatively well at Kansas with an 11th-place finish, which gave him a decent level of comfort for Bristol. However, Bristol ended up being his best race of the round. Elliott only qualified 23rd, which could have been a disaster at the short track, but he climbed the order and found himself among the top 10 at the end of the second stage. Avoiding trouble and turning on the speed in the final miles earned Elliott a runner-up finish, a spot in the next playoff round and a fresh rest of points. He now begins the round of 12 at Texas with 31-point cushion above the first spot out of the transfer places.

Brad Keselowski – Keselowski avoided early trouble Saturday night at Bristol. He opted not to pit in the first segment, which gave him the track position he needed to grab the lead and drive to the first stage win of the night. Like teammate Buescher, the No. 6 was quick throughout the night and Keselowski returned to the lead with just over 200 laps remaining. Unfortunately, he wasn't immune to the tire problems that plagued the night. While leading, Keselowski suffered a similar fate as many other cars when a flat tire sent him out of the lead and into the pits. That time, though, the issue came without a yellow. Not getting that call for a caution meant he returned to the fray off the of the lead lap and out of the running for the win. Despite leading 109 laps, that small bit of bad luck ruined what could have been a great night for both of the organization's cars. Wins seems to be on the way, however. 

DOWNGRADE

Kyle Busch – Busch was playing his cards perfectly to advance into the round of 12 Saturday night. The former champion earned stage points when needed and put himself into position in the final stage to race for the finish he would need to stay alive in the championship fight. Shortly into that final stage, though, everything came unraveled. His engine gave up just after the start of the final stage, putting Busch out of the race and the playoffs in an instant. Busch now begins his final races with Joe Gibbs Racing (before moving to Richard Childress Racing in 2023) with nothing to play for other than one final race win together. Busch has won four times at Texas and as recently as 2020. He led 20 laps in last year's race and finished eighth.

Kevin Harvick - After two DNFs in the first two races of the playoffs, it was always going to be a long shot for Harvick to advance at Bristol. The former champion entered the final race of the opening round of the playoffs last in the standings, needing a win or a small miracle to advance on points. For much of the race the unlikely circumstances he needed to advance appeared to be within reach, though. Harvick added stage points to his cause in the second segment but remained in a deep points hole as the race wore on. He finished 10th in a typical Harvick performance, but his playoff run came to an end. That has been the story of this team in 2022 — close but not quite there. He still has seven races remaining to add another win to his resume, but focusing on a small step forward in competitiveness will be the goal for 2023.

Tyler Reddick – Reddick's playoff run came crashing to an end Saturday night at Bristol. The Richard Childress Racing driver had been gaining traction as the playoffs approached and looked like he could advance deep in the battle. His third-place finish at Darlington was an ideal start to the round, but back-to-back finishes outside of the top 20 put his championship effort in the ground. The final blow was the biggest crash of the race just before the 300 lap mark. Reddick and many others suffered significant damage and the team had to spend a lot of time on pit road making repairs just to get him back on the track. He was indeed able to return but finished 25th, 31 laps behind the leaders. He ended the round tied on points with Kyle Busch, with both falling out of the 2022 playoffs. 

Ryan Blaney – Blaney wasn't immune from the right-front tire failures that hampered Ford teams Saturday night. The playoff contender slammed the wall when his failed, but he luckily got a caution to avoid losing even more time. Things got worse when the team failed to fully attach the right-rear wheel while on pit road, though. The car continued to suffer problems when the race restarted, with the rear dragging forcing him into yet another stop to try for a fix. It was a disaster that could have ended his championship push were it not for the issues for so many other contenders. Blaney's finishes in the first two races of the round were enough to see him through, but the team cannot afford more problems like Saturday's if they want to advance again. Blaney has seven top 10s and three top fives from 13 Texas starts.

Austin Dillon – An early crash in the final stage took Dillon out of both Saturday's race and the playoff battle. The multiple-car crash occurred on the restart following Kyle Busch's engine issue, and Dillon was stuck behind the incident with nowhere to go. The unavoidable contact broke his car's suspension. Despite spending time on pit road trying to repair the damage, and even attempting a return to the track, the team couldn't get the No. 3 machine to the point where it could make minimum speed. Dillon's race was over, and with it his playoff run. Race wins will be what he seeks the remainder of the season. Dillon won the spring race at Texas in 2020 and finished 14th at the track last season.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Austin Cindric – An early right-front tire failure in the first stage hampered Cindric's chances to advance in the playoff battle. He hit the wall and went to the pits for repairs under green, which left him multiple laps down and last in the virtual playoff standings. The team continued digging, however, and the rampant tire problems ended up affecting many other contenders. Those issues and some typical Bristol crashing enabled Cindric to pick up places as he continued to make laps. Not many would have picked Cindric to advance out of the round of 16, but his 20th-place finish Sunday night along with his 16th- and 12th-place finishes in the previous two weeks were good enough to put him among the top 12. The season has been one of unpredictability and Cindric has been a benefactor of it.