Brad Keselowski assesses Chris Buescher’s chances of winning a race and reaching the playoffs

This season is the opposite of the last two for Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher and RFK Racing. Now the NASCAR champion and team co-owner has one win on the year, while Buescher is still searching.

In 2022, Chris Buescher won the Southern 500 despite missing the playoffs. Then last season he won two races in a row at Michigan and Richmond and followed that up with a win at Daytona, giving him three wins in five weeks and catapulting him into the playoffs.

This year, Brad Keselowski has the upper hand with a win at Darlington. Buescher has come close to winning this season, in fact, he has come closer than anyone in NASCAR history has without winning the actual trophy.

In an interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, Keselowski talked about Kansas, Buescher’s playoff chances and more.

“I think it shows how fickle this sport is,” Keselowski explained. “Chris has run some really great races. He’s just going through a good stretch of competitive runs. Maybe things didn’t go quite the way he wanted at Gateway, but if you look at Sonoma, if you look at New Hampshire, even back at Charlotte where he ran really well and at Kansas where he came as close to winning as is physically possible (without winning). And Darlington, you know. He’s going through a stretch of races where he could win every week, he’s doing everything right, but he hasn’t had any luck yet. If he’s lucky, watch out.”

RFK Racing has accomplished a lot over the last few years. They have come a long way. Now all they need to do is get both cars to Victory Lane in the same season.

Brad Keselowski: Missing the playoffs would be “catastrophic”

Is Brad Keselowski worried about Chris Buescher missing the playoffs? Well, until he gets a win, there’s reason to worry. Keselowski is in with his win. But Buescher, if there are a few surprise winners, could sit out and watch.

Right now, the points say Buescher will do well. But nothing is guaranteed.

“When you’re not there, you’re always stressed. We know that while he’s a couple cars ahead of the cut-off, he’s got a couple of new winners, but that goes away very quickly,” the RFK co-owner said. “I think we feel the pressure to get him in, we feel the pressure to make sure he has the right equipment and the right resources, and we’re doing everything we can, and I’m confident he can do it.”

If Buescher were to miss the playoffs, it would be disappointing. Not just from a performance perspective. There are a lot of people who have an interest in the success of the No. 17 car.

“From an owner’s perspective, missing the playoffs is a disaster,” Keselowski said. “Whether it’s your sponsorships, your OEM relationships, your ability to recruit and retain talent in the shop or on the street, the pit crew. It’s a really, really big deal.”

Is there a chance that Chris Buescher will not win a race in 2024?