NASCAR at Darlington Aug. - Sept. 2024: Chris Buescher

right we'll go ahead and in the interest of time I know we're running a little bit over I'm going to go ahead and just open up for questions so we can make sure we can get all of our questions in and we'll start up front here with Jordan Jordan bian the athletic when you're in this position coming into it um is are you looking back throughout the year um the would have should have could have you know whether it was Las Vegas with the wheel Kansas Darlington are you focused forward or we're on this weekend um yeah I mean all that's stuff that uh that hurts and and will when when you do stop to look back at it but ultimately it's not anything that's changing our situation right now and and would really just be a distraction at this point so um yeah and there's no change in it right so uh definitely things that U you know look back on we we'll clean clean up as a as a team uh things I can clean up as a driver do differently uh and then just situations that uh certainly could have gone better so um yeah we're focused on this weekend now all right we'll go to Holly hi Chris how much are you playing offense versus defense because you have enough of a points margin that's you know somewhat comfortable not entirely but I mean how are you kind of going to go about things this week um you know for me this is one of my favorite racetracks um I absolutely love coming to darington it's um had a chance to win this race last time we were here and um you know obviously uh ended up in one of my less highlight worthy moments but um it just uh for us it's how do we come in and win this race how do we be in contention to win this race um I think uh I just I don't like to be a points racer I'm aware of our situation uh I I feel like we can come out here and do what we've been doing each and every week and that's been bringing fast race course to the track that um you know a lot of times feel like we've had uh speed to to compete for wins uh we've been able to compete for for wins uh and then um you know days that we just need to to execute a little bit better all around and you know for uh for us that's kind of the same thing we got looking at us for for this go so uh yeah we'll um we will pay attention it's something we started you know probably poke and0 time um just aware of of the we racing if uh if they have days that um that that are catastrophic or or bad um you know just know what that means for us and uh and if you know you do have to um be a little bit more uh aware of of the situations you're in then then we can we can pay attention to that but ultimately I want to I want to be in contention to win this race and uh and just close the deal out that way not worry about any of the rest all right our next question will go to Mark Mark ger R right Chris as well as you ran last year the winds and all the speed you guys had at the beginning of the season are you surprised to be sitting here coming into the last race in such a precarious position uh in a way I guess um yeah I mean we're uh was it third of the cars with without a win on points uh I think that's probably the bigger surprise there's been um as many different winners this year as there has been right so uh and uh and on the flip side of that is we've like you said we've had a lot of speed this year we've been really close at a lot of races uh we just haven't haven't sealed the deal and um you know that's been very frustrating at times because that was one of the uh the bigger goals we had on this season was to make sure that we fired off with the uh the potential that we had around this time last year um and we did it's it was good to go race track and have speed at types of RAC tracks that that honestly we just haven't been very good at in the past and um you know we we were good at short tracks and intermediates and uh road courses are still really strong for us so all those things were going well we just um you in a couple of Runner ups and um you know very very near misses so uh I think that it's been a great year just we don't have any trophies on it yet so yeah we uh didn't expect to be in this position um and unfortunately it's where we're at but uh I am pretty confident in what we're able to do at Darlington and what we've had as as an organization this year here at RFK that uh as long as we you do everything we need to we're we're going to be in good shape all right our next question will go to Allan cavana Alan cavana MRN uh during the race do you want to know where Bubba's running where Ross is running what the point situation is do you ask not to be updated what do you like as a driver I'm not going to ask for silence but uh but no I don't need uh I don't need the updates either if it's um if it's not significant um you know ultimately that's uh it's just a distraction for for what we need to do to to go race um you it's just uh it's just a different mindset going into uh into these scenarios as we look at playoffs here and this is um you know points I feel like every year we talk about points a little bit earlier in the season and to the point where I feel like it comes up at Daytona now so I I I just um you know for us we need to go these these things and um and do our our own deal and run our own race but um no it's not something that I'm going to ask for for constant updates um you know when you're in the car you're not I guess I'm not I'll speak for myself I'm not completely aware of the uh the race scenarios and everything that's playing out and um and I don't really need to be if it's not something that I can affect the outcome of so uh there will be a time and place for that and uh maybe that's just um you know towards the end um it it's been a scenario where uh some of the cars we're racing have had bad days uh if we have a day where we're involved in an accident it's um you know kind of updating on on that situation and what we need to do to make sure we recover but no I'm not um you're certainly not going to hear from from my side of the radio asking for updates all right we'll go to Claire Claire belang so when you come to this track with so much on the line for so many drivers are most of them say they love this racetrack whether they had success here or not and have a lot of confidence here but everybody can't do well here right why does everybody feel so confident here and what is it about this track uh because we have composite bodies now and there's uh there's not the big penalty for uh for big misses I I think um it gives a lot of people confidence that uh that they did not have a couple of years ago but um you know it's it's such a cool racetrack there's so much history here um it's it's a place that drivers love um me being one of them that wasn't very good here for a long time and uh and took a lot of learning but uh but always loved it uh was always one of my favorites regardless so uh the speed we've been able to have in the last couple years has certainly helped me enjoy it more but um it is it's just a cool racetrack that's unlike anything else that that we go to and and I think for that everybody um has an appreciation for that as as drivers and and enjoy the the challenge of it so um you know yeah we all want to be better at it but but um but ultimately it's just such a fun racetrack that uh you can you can get behind it quite easily so how much did this track frustrate you at first and then how were you able to learn it what did you do in general yeah I don't know um it wasn't so frustrated at coming to this racetrack is just um a little bit of uh bad luck along the way a couple of Tire issues early in my career here that uh felt like ended days that were going to be okay but um you know and then after that just kind of got rolling in the right direction the point where it was always just a little bit better as we went um I had a hard a lot of hard lessons here with metal body cars as well and um you know that was completely on me but um you know as we we've gone into it as the the lanes moved around with the repave uh you know many years ago now but as it's starting to age aggressively it's um it's constantly changing too so it's uh it's something that requires a lot of focus a lot of attention leading up to the weekend and um and and a lot of effort to break down at the end of it so it's just uh one that's progressively gotten better Through The Years our team's done a great job RFK obviously has turned a great Corner in the last couple years now too and uh coming to the racetrack being faster certainly helps you uh like RAC trcks that uh that maybe weren't your best in uh in previous years so that's made a a massive difference from where I'm sitting and certainly helps my head space all right we'll take one final question in the back from Owen thank you hey Chris Owen Johnson cup scene.com uh speaking of this track do you think Darlington is a good place to end the regular season and would you ever want to uh head to a track that isn't Daytona and maybe a little less unpredictable for this race in the future I like this one um you know what it's uh it's hard it's a a 500 mile race it's going to be 90 something degrees uh on race day um it's a it's a fantastic challenge for uh for all the drivers teams uh everybody out here and I think that's um that's a great way to to head off into uh into our playoffs is make everybody work for it um you know and not saying Daytona doesn't have its own challenges but uh it's certainly uh uh I wouldn't say there's a a whole lot more predictability here but um maybe a little bit more of controlling your own destiny and uh and understanding that it's going to be very difficult as well so uh just so many things can to happen to Daytona uh like we continue to see and um you know just uh it can really throw a a massive curve right at the end that um uh you just can't can't plan for it in any way uh ultim we don't we haven't done a good enough job not to be on this bubble right now but um uh yeah I like the fact that uh we have this race and I certainly enjoy um enjoy Darlington being the cut off this year and uh and would be my vote not to be at Daytona in the future but um I don't think think I submitted my vote early enough to get that one to count all right Chris thank you so much for your time we wish you the best of luck this weekend thank you all right we'll have one final media availability [Music] here all right there's the Checker SL great job driver