Chris Buescher was the last driver inside the playoffs bubble on points ahead of the Southern 500. Had it not been for Chase Briscoe winning his first race of the season this Sunday, the driver of the #17 Ford Mustang might have made it into the last 16. However, it was not meant to be for the 31-year-old.
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Despite not getting a win this year, the RFK Racing star has had a decent season so far. He came close to winning multiple times during the year and has run more consistently than several of the championship contenders. He elaborated on the same after his appearance in the 500-mile-long event.
On points, Buescher sits in 11th place on the points table. That’s ahead of playoff drivers like Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric, and Harrison Burton. If delved into, this stat will once again spark the debate about the playoff format regarding the integrity of the competition.
Dammit. pic.twitter.com/q5EkUE8kjH
— Chris Buescher (@Chris_Buescher) September 2, 2024
There’s nothing the #17 driver can do now other than rue all the chances he’s missed to win a race this season, especially the Goodyear 400.
“Didn’t quite get it done again and now we’re on the outside looking in. Unfortunately, it’s just the system we are playing in and we had such a great year. Everyone at RFK has worked so hard, we’ve been so fast, we’ve outrun so many of these cars that are going to run for a championship but that’s the system and we didn’t work it right,” he said after the Southern 500.
From the race wins and playoff run he had last season, this is a step backward for the #17 team. RFK Racing has ambitions of regularly having both cars in the playoffs and this was just not Buescher’s year. He will hope to do better next time around and not squander golden opportunities to win races like he did this season.
NASCAR legend defends playoff format
The whole conversation around the ‘win and you’re in’ format came to the forefront after Harrison Burton’s win last weekend at Daytona. Despite being P34, he will be able to race for the championship at least in the first round of the playoffs.
Several fans commented that it was unfair to the drivers who have run better this year. Buescher’s comments after the Darlington race felt similar. However, racing legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has a different viewpoint.
In an earlier episode of his podcast, Junior mentioned how wildcard entries have always existed since the Playoff system was first introduced in the sport. It might not be fair to some, but it means a lot to the drivers and teams winning one race and getting in. That’s not just on emotional grounds, but on financial grounds as well as teams in the playoffs get a bigger chunk of money than the rest.
For Stewart-Haas Racing to get that payout is a big deal considering this is their final Cup Series season. The 300-plus employees could be rewarded with that payout for their years of support and it could help them out as they look for other jobs in the off-season.
