RFK Posts Pair of Top-10s in Daytona Night Race
Keselowski Eighth, Buescher 10th
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 24, 2024) – RFK Racing left Daytona International Speedway Saturday night with a pair of top-10 efforts as both Ford Mustangs steadily ran up front, with Brad Keselowski leading the charge with an eighth-place finish, while Chris Buescher defended his win with a 10th-place result.
Keselowski earned the most points of any driver in the field with 41 total – including stage finishes of seventh and third – while Buescher also posted a strong points effort with 37 total, fourth most of all cars, also with top-10 stage finishes of third and ninth.
“Yeah, our Mustang was so good,” Buescher said following the race. “We were able to push unbelievably well, make a ton of speed. It was a lot of fun for a long while there, caught up in another accident. Just trying to get it to the end. Ultimately it was not the day we needed.”
6 Recap
Keselowski’s King’s Hawaiian Ford was arguably the class of the field, leading three different times and rarely falling outside the top five and top-10.
After a qualifying effort of 12th on Friday, Keselowski put the No. 6 in the top-10 early, taking his first lead of the race just eight laps in. He ended the opening stage of 35 laps in seventh and restarted stage two ninth after the first stop of the day.
The race’s first big incident came at lap 61 when 18 cars tangled on the backstretch as Keselowski pitted for fuel only under the caution. He restarted P2 on the ensuing restart behind Buescher, as the two worked together in the remainder of the stage before finishing third to end it.
Stage three played out as a fuel mileage scenario up until a string of late caution flags began at lap 141. Keselowski pitted under that yellow for fuel only, setting him up for the final run to the checkered flag. He restarted front row, but was hit with a restart violation penalty, forcing him to pit road for a pass through penalty.
He used the final two cautions to regain track position, ultimately finishing eighth.
17 Recap
Buescher and the 17 team again showed resiliency, overcoming an incident to finish top-10 for the second week in a row. Buescher put the Fifth Third Bank Ford third to end stage one, earning valuable stage points in the final run to the NASCAR Playoffs.
He restarted third for stage two and immediately went to the point a few laps later, leading two different times in the next 30 laps. After finishing the stage in ninth, Buescher began stage three from 23rd after pitting in the stage break. He was then scored 14th at the time of the next caution at lap 141 before pitting for fuel only. Then, 10 laps later, an incident involving 14 cars occurred in turn one, collecting Buescher and causing damage to the front end.
After repairs on pit road, Buescher rejoined the field, and was back in 12th by the time the next caution flew at lap 159. He battled in the closing NASCAR Overtime finish to 10th, his 11th top-10 of the season.
Up Next
Darlington Raceway hosts the final race of the regular season next weekend, with race coverage Sunday night set for 6 p.m. ET on USA, with radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 37th season in 2024, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com, and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.
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