Chris Buescher

Buescher had as solid and dependable a season as one could expect for a driver in the middle tier of the Cup Series driver field. He posted a career-best eight Top-10 finishes in 2020, but only managed a 21st-place finish in the final driver standings. A little bit of inconsistency in the stretch run of last season is much of the reason for the lackluster points finish. However, there are many positives to point to with this driver and team. Buescher soundly ran circles around his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Ryan Newman. That alone speaks volumes of his ability as a driver. The 28-year-old Texan will once again be paired with crew chief Luke Lambert at the No. 17 Ford team and they will look to up their performance another notch or two. Buescher's driving ability is undeniable, and he tends to flourish on the superspeedways. However, the team does have its limitations and it's best to temper your expectations accordingly.

Late last season saw Buescher thick in the middle of the silly season shuffle. He essentially swapped teams with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and will now race in the No. 17 Ford at Roush Fenway Racing. He will be paired with crew chief Luke Lambert and two will look to resurrect this slumping race team. Buescher had a very steady 2019 campaign at his old team, JTG Daugherty Racing. The journeyman driver nabbed four Top-10 and 12 Top-15 finishes en route to a 20th-place standings finish. He managed a career-best 17.8 average finish last season and that was due largely to his weekly consistency and low DNF total (4) across the 36-race season. Buescher will have to start from scratch in more ways than one in 2020, but he is a talented driver and this is a capable race team. How quickly he and Lambert develop communication and chemistry will be key in season-long performance.

The young driver was able to hold serve in many ways last season, and improve in some other areas. Buescher finished 24th in the final driver standings, which was one notch better than 2017's finish. However, he posted two fewer Top 10s along the way with a total of just two. Still, Buescher improved his qualifying pretty dramatically, and it showed in his average starting position numbers. He moved up nearly four spots on the grid with an average starting position of 21.6. That translated into slightly better average finishes as a result. Buescher and the No. 37 team came away with a pair of Top 5s in the two Daytona races, and really proved their mettle in the superspeedway side of things. He and crew chief, Trent Owens, will be paired together once again this season, and look to continue their growth in NASCAR's top division.

Season one at JTG Daugherty Racing had its ups and downs, but the talented youngster posted a career-best four Top-10 finishes last season with his new race team and achieved a respectable 21.4 average finish for the campaign. Buescher signed a multi-year deal with JTG and crew chief Trent Owens returns to guide the 25-year-old Texan. It's a situation set up to grow and succeed. It remains to be seen how much Buescher can improve in the upcoming season given the team's limits on resources, but Buescher's ability has a high ceiling. Of the drivers in the lower tier, he has some of the best growth potential and best upside. His 78 starts of experience in NASCAR's top level gives Buescher an edge on the other younger drivers in the series.

The talented youngster makes a team change this season. Buescher will move from Front Row Motorsports to JTG Daugherty Racing's new second team. He will pilot the No. 37 Chevrolet in his second full season of racing at NASCAR's top level. Buescher had a pretty good rookie campaign last season. He pulled out a surprise victory at Pocono Raceway in the mid-summer, and he nabbed two Top-10 finishes. On the strength of the win, Buescher made the Chase for the Cup and gave Front Row their first-ever berth in the NASCAR post-season. Now he'll look to give JTG's new team a good footing and help them to race competitively each week. The 2015 Xfinity Series champion has loads of talent and potential so this team has a lot of upside in the lower tier of drivers.

The reigning Xfinity Series champion gets the big promotion to the Sprint Cup Series in 2016. However, he won't be racing for a major team. Buescher takes over the No. 34 Ford of Front Row Motorsports and will race for Rookie of the Year honors this season. As a part of this deal, Roush Fenway Racing has formed a technical alliance with FRM to bolster the team's equipment and competitiveness. Buescher has been under the Roush umbrella for the past three years, so this move makes sense. It was the fastest and easiest way to get him into a Sprint Cup Series ride. However, many question marks remain, including who will be crew chief of this team. Despite Buescher's obvious talent there are enough variables here to cast some doubt on performance and consistency.

Buescher is a free agent driver in 2013. He is the 2012 ARCA Series champion and is focusing primarily on racing in that series.