DOVER, Del. — Recap by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images North America photo —
Chris Buescher stretched his fuel — and his teammate’s temper — to the absolute limit Saturday afternoon at Dover International Speedway.
The result was his second NASCAR XFINITY Series victory in the last three races.
Buescher led only the final ten laps after contact with his teammate Darrell Wallace Jr. allowed him to seize the point, all the while while both were trying to make a 98-lap run to the finish pay dividends.
In the end, it was Buescher who made the strategy play work, collecting his third career NXS victory and second of the 2015 season — extending his championship points lead in the process.
(Drew Hallowell/Getty Images North America photo)
Buescher was fairly unapologetic in Victory Lane — all smiles because his move paid dividends with a “Miles the Monster” trophy.
“That was a heck of a race for us,” Buescher admitted. “This Roush Performance Mustang was pretty decent; we knew we had our work cut out for us though. Scott [Graves, crew chief] made a heck of a call to try and stay out and make the [fuel] last to the end, so it was a lot of saving fuel.”
“Bubba (Wallace) was on the same strategy and we were able to run a lot quicker pace still. I couldn’t do anything with him lifting at the end of the straightaways. It is what it is. We got a win. It’s hard when somebody runs down on you that close [though].”
Buescher said it was nerve-racking on the last couple of laps, wondering if the fuel tank would sputter dry or not.
“I couldn’t believe how slow we were having to run it,” the Texas native admitted. “It was just such a slow pace at the end — we were clutching it before the start/finish line and just letting it roll [through the corner] — staying off the gas. Had enough for a burnout though at the end, almost like Mid-Ohio again.”
Wallace bolted away from the number one starting spot to lead the opening laps in his Ford EcoBoost No. 6 Mustang, but the caution flew very quickly on lap two when Jamie Dick and Ryan Sieg made contact, spinning Sieg’s No. 39 in turn four and slowing the early pace.
After that, the race would take on a green-flag feel as Wallace paced the way until lap 42, when two-time XFINITY winner in 2015, Austin Dillon, came calling in his No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet to take over the lead for Richard Childress Racing after starting eighth — Dillon would hold a 1.2-second advantage by the event’s quarter-mark at lap 50.
That large advantage would be short-lived, as the event’s second caution would fly at lap 56 after debris was spotted in turn three. The yellow would also see a lead change, as a lightning-quick 11.9 second pit stop for the Monster Energy pit crew allowed Erik Jones to jump to the top of the scoring pylon.
Jones would hold the lead on the ensuing restart, but a three-car mess sparked by contact between Ryan Blaney and Brian Scott brought out an extended caution on lap 64 — the reason for the long yellow was to clean up fluid from Jamie Dick, who plowed into the rear quarter panel of the Scott machine with nowhere to go as Scott slid down the track.
All three cars finished well down the running order, with Blaney’s 34th place result ending a streak of 31 consecutive top ten finishes for the Team Penske No. 22 car.
Once the race finally got back going at lap 75, Jones again held the lead until lap 99 brought both a lead change, as Wallace hauled back to the top spot on the high side, and a caution for another spin by Ryan Sieg — sending all the leaders down pit road with the exception of Matt Kenseth, who assumed the lead after an early race unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel left him fighting back from a lap down.
Kenseth would get away on the lap 106 restart to a 2.1-second advantage, but his teammate Erik Jones would quietly chip the lead down to just three car lengths before the 2003 Sprint Cup champion gave up the point with 47 laps remaining to make his final pit stop.
Jones would hold the lead until he made his final pit stop in a flurry of smoking tires — drawing a speeding penalty that would take him out of contention for the win and handing the lead to Wallace with 17 laps to go.
That would set up the titanic battle between the front row and teammates over the final stretch, but Buescher’s slam to the side of his teammate’s Ford Mustang to take the lead would be the heartbreaker as Wallace limped to pit road, a flat left front tire being his undoing.
(Nick Laham/Getty Images North America photo)
Wallace was scored a distant 17th at the checkered flag after dominating at several points and being in the running for the Dash4Cash $100,000 bonus — and was understandably upset upon climbing from his car.
“I asked my spotter after the race, and he said we got run over,” the frustrated rookie said. “You talk about that ‘Dash for Cash’ and we get jinxed. Glad I’m not in it for the next one, so I guess that’s great. He’s saving fuel there — he just ran over me, and he ended up winning — so I guess it’ll be an interesting [team meeting] Monday morning.”
Kenseth ultimately finished second to Buescher at the checkered flag after spending 51 total laps at the head of the field. Regan Smith, who finished third, collected the $100,000 Dash4Cash bonus as the highest-finishing eligible XFINITY Series points regular.
Austin Dillon and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five, the final cars on the lead lap at the finish.
Defending NXS champion Chase Elliott rallied from a subpar day all around to finish sixth after qualifying 14th on an afternoon when the Dawsonville, Ga. young gun said the team was simply “lacking pace” from the start.
Jones, looking to win on his 19th birthday, finished ninth after his speeding penalty. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver led the most laps (70) on the afternoon.
The NASCAR XFINITY Series returns to action on June 13 with the Great Clips 250 benefiting the Paralyzed Veterans of America (1:30 p.m. Eastern, FOX Sports 1) from Michigan International Speedway.
RESULTS: NASCAR XFINITY Series; Buckle Up 200; Dover International Speedway; May 30, 2015
- Chris Buescher
- Matt Kenseth
- Regan Smith
- Austin Dillon
- Kasey Kahne
- Chase Elliott
- Brendan Gaughan
- Ty Dillon
- Erik Jones
- Jeremy Clements
- Ryan Reed
- Brennan Poole
- David Starr
- Dakoda Armstrong
- John Wes Townley
- Ross Chastain
- Darrell Wallace Jr.
- J.J. Yeley
- Daniel Suarez
- Ryan Sieg
- Elliott Sadler
- Landon Cassill
- C.J. Faison
- Eric McClure
- Peyton Sellers
- Harrison Rhodes
- B.J. McLeod
- Derrike Cope
- Joey Gase
- Blake Koch
- Timmy Hill
- Mario Gosselin
- Cale Conley
- Ryan Blaney
- Mike Harmon
- Brian Scott
- Jamie Dick
- Carl Long
- Morgan Shepherd
- Jeff Green
