The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen saw one of the best finishes at the track in a long time. Chris Buescher and Shane van Gisbergen battled it out on the two laps in overtime and the RFK Racing man came out on top. The racing was hard but the final pass for the win was not as clean as a lot of people would have liked it to be. The Kiwi did not hold any grudges as he went over to Victory Lane to congratulate Buescher.
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On the final overtime restart, SVG was in fourth and nudged the #17 out of the way to take the lead. The Kiwi knew that he was going to get the receipt for that contact which he did on the final lap. He made a mistake and went off the track before turn 5 and that gave Buescher the opportunity he needed to make it work. He too nudged the #16 aside and held on to the lead until the checkered flag fell on his first race win of the season.
“Our long-run speed was just phenomenal. Thought we lost it there on the last one. That was the spot where he was better than us and he missed it. Tried to cross over, he went to cut, but just hard racing there. Just such an awesome finish. To get a win is good. We came here to be spoilers and we’re gonna do that,” Buescher said after the race.
The heartbreak of not making it to the round of 16 must have eased after this performance. For RFK Racing, this is big as both drivers have won races this season. The team truly is moving in the right direction and just needs to get a few things right in to be a championship contender. If only this result had come for the #17 earlier in the season.
The 2024 Watkins Glen race finish mirrored 2012
The battle between SVG and Buescher was interesting for another reason. The #17 driver is a part of RFK Racing which has Brad Keselowski as a co-owner. SVG has been mentored by Marcos Ambrose for his time in NASCAR. Over a decade ago, Keselowski and Ambrose were in a similar situation at Watkins Glen, battling for the race win. The 2012 champion made contact with Kyle Busch who was leading but having an issue with the car.
The battle then ensued between the #2 and the #9 (Ambrose) in the final part of the track. Much like what happened on Sunday, the leader at the time, Keselowski, went off the track and that gave Ambrose a golden chance of taking the lead. He promptly took the opportunity and despite multiple charges by the then-Team Penske man, won the race. Buescher’s race-winning pass on SVG somewhat mirrored that incident.
It did not make a difference in the grand scheme of things that season as Keselowski became the Cup Series champion in the end. Neither SVG nor Buescher will have the chance to do that in 2024.
