Chris Buescher Bio
Christopher William Buescher, born on October 29, 1992, in Prosper, Texas, is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing with crew chief Scott Graves. Buescher is the 2012 ARCA Racing Series champion and the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. He is also the cousin of James Buescher, the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion.
Standing 180 centimeters tall and weighing 73 kilograms, Buescher has built a reputation as a steady and opportunistic racer. After years of grinding in the national series, he broke through with multiple NASCAR Cup Series victories and returned RFK Racing to Victory Lane on a regular basis.
Early Life and Background
Christopher William Buescher was born in Prosper, Texas, to parents Jim and Donna Buescher. Growing up in a region with deep short-track traditions, he developed an interest in racing at a young age and began competing in local events as a child. His family supported his early ambitions, and the racing community around the Dallas area helped him sharpen his skills before he moved on to bigger opportunities.
His most important early mentor turned out to be NASCAR Cup Series driver David Ragan, who was also from the Texas short-track scene. Through that connection, Buescher eventually earned the chance to relocate east and pursue a professional career. He later settled in New London, North Carolina, the heart of NASCAR country, where he continues to live with his family.
The Buescher family has a strong racing pedigree that extends beyond Christopher. His cousin, James Buescher, captured the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship, making them one of the few cousin pairs to both reach the top of NASCAR’s national touring series.
Path to NASCAR
Buescher began his professional racing career in 2005, driving Legends cars in Texas for Speedway Legends, where he won more than one hundred feature races. That success caught the attention of NASCAR Cup Series veteran David Ragan, who helped Buescher move to North Carolina in 2008 to join Roush Fenway Racing as a development driver.
He began competing in the ARCA Menards Series in 2009 and made his NASCAR national-series debut with two NASCAR Nationwide Series starts in 2011. After balancing a limited ARCA schedule with part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series (then Nationwide Series) appearances in 2013, Buescher graduated to a full-time Xfinity ride with Roush Fenway Racing in 2014. He picked up his first national-series victory that year at Mid-Ohio, setting the stage for a championship run the following season.
Chris Buescher Career
Early Career (2009-2012)
Buescher’s first national-touring-series start came in 2009 at Salem Speedway in the ARCA Menards Series. He quickly became a contender, scoring his first ARCA victory in 2010 at Toledo and collecting additional wins in the seasons that followed. Working with teams such as Roulo Bros. Racing while finishing his development path with Roush Fenway, he established himself as a polished short-track racer with strong road-course skills.
In 2011, his rookie ARCA campaign earned him the ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year award. He then put together a historic 2012 season, winning the ARCA championship and becoming the only driver in series history to complete every single lap during a championship season. By the end of 2012, Buescher had logged 10 ARCA victories along with 43 top-ten finishes and five poles, numbers that confirmed he was ready to step into NASCAR’s national spotlight.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Breakthrough (2014-2015)
Buescher moved full-time to the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2014, driving the No. 60 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing. After a learning year that included early speed at plate tracks and short ovals, he broke through on August 16 with a win in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 at Mid-Ohio, his first career national-series victory. That result gave him momentum heading into his first full championship run.
In 2015, the renamed NASCAR Xfinity Series became Buescher’s breakout year. He opened with a runner-up finish at Daytona and a fourth at Atlanta, then won at Iowa Speedway after passing Chase Elliott for the lead on the final restart. A second victory followed at Dover International Speedway, and the consistency of Roush Fenway’s No. 60 team kept him near the top of the standings. He entered the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in contention and clinched the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, holding off Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon, and Regan Smith to capture his first national-series title. Buescher finished his Xfinity career with three wins, 36 top-ten finishes, and one championship.
NASCAR Cup Series (2015-Present)
Buescher made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2015 at Auto Club Speedway, driving the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports while filling in for David Ragan. After running five additional Cup races that season, he was announced in December 2015 as the full-time driver of the No. 34 for 2016, kicking off his first complete Cup campaign.
His first Cup victory came in dramatic fashion on August 1, 2016, in the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway. Buescher took the lead late by running a different pit sequence, and the race was called due to a massive fog bank and approaching severe weather, awarding him the win. The victory made him the first Cup rookie to win since Joey Logano in 2009 and the first rookie to win at Pocono since Denny Hamlin in 2006. It also delivered Front Row Motorsports its first win in 118 races.
After a stint at JTG Daugherty Racing in the No. 37, Buescher returned to the Roush Fenway organization in 2020 to drive the No. 17 Ford, replacing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He posted a career-best eight top-ten finishes that season and continued to build consistency. In 2022, he snapped a 222-race winless streak with a victory in the Bristol night race, RFK Racing’s first win in five years, then added a Richmond win and a Michigan win in 2023 to make the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs for the first time since 2016. He advanced to the Round of 8 in 2023 and finished a career-best seventh in points with three wins, nine top-fives, and 17 top-tens. In 2024, he won at Watkins Glen after Shane van Gisbergen brushed the wall on the final lap, finishing the year with his most recent Cup victory.
RFK Racing Era (2020-Present)
Buescher joined RFK Racing’s No. 17 Ford ahead of the 2020 season, beginning a partnership with crew chief Scott Graves that has anchored his recent run. The team entered an alliance with Front Row Motorsports the same year, giving Buescher access to a deeper engineering and resource pool. He responded with his first multi-win Cup season in 2023, leading laps deep into the playoffs and helping bring the storied Roush organization back to championship contention.
His 2024 season was bittersweet. Buescher came within 0.001 seconds of beating Kyle Larson at Kansas in what became the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history, and a controversial late-race incident at Dover with Tyler Reddick briefly dominated headlines. He missed the playoffs but recovered with a thrilling last-lap win at Watkins Glen, demonstrating the road-course strength that has defined much of his career. The victory at The Glen was his most recent Cup win and reinforced his value as a versatile, late-race threat.
Driving Style and Strengths
Buescher is known for his smooth, mistake-free driving style, his excellent race craft on intermediate and road courses, and his patience on long green-flag runs. He is particularly strong at Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, and other technical circuits, and his partnership with crew chief Scott Graves has produced sharp pit calls and smart strategy. He has built a reputation for being at his best when races get unpredictable, with rain, restarts, or late-race chaos often playing to his strengths.
Notable Races and Milestones
Beyond his Pocono fog-shortened victory and his Watkins Glen heroics, Buescher’s 2023 sweep of Richmond, Michigan, and Daytona remains a signature stretch. His 2024 Kansas near-miss at 0.001 seconds, the closest Cup finish in series history, stands as one of the most dramatic moments of his career. Earlier, his 2015 Xfinity title at Homestead and his 2012 ARCA championship both rank among his defining achievements.
Chris Buescher Career Wins
Chris Buescher has built a varied and successful racing resume that includes national-series championships and wins across multiple NASCAR divisions. His trophy case features an ARCA Menards Series title in 2012, a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2015, and six NASCAR Cup Series victories, including the 2022 Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona and a memorable 2024 road-course win at Watkins Glen.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Buescher’s six Cup wins span 2016 to 2024, with the first coming at Pocono in 2016 as a rookie and the most recent arriving at Watkins Glen in 2024. His 2023 playoff run was the high-water mark of his Cup career, as he swept Richmond, Michigan, and the Daytona night race to advance to the Round of 8 and finish a career-best seventh in points. He has also won the 2022 Bluegreen Vacations Duel at Daytona, a non-points exhibition race that is still a notable trophy for any driver.
Other Wins & Performances
Outside of the Cup Series, Buescher has 10 career ARCA Menards Series wins and three NASCAR Xfinity Series victories. His Xfinity wins came at Mid-Ohio in 2014, then at Iowa Speedway and Dover International Speedway during his 2015 championship run. He has also been a top qualifier across national series, posting one Cup pole, his first at Dover in 2022, and five ARCA poles.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 6 | 94 | 1 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 3 | 36 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 10 | 43 | 5 |
Chris Buescher Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Buescher was raised by his parents, Jim and Donna Buescher, in Prosper, Texas, where the family encouraged his early racing dreams. His cousin, James Buescher, is the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, giving the Buescher family two major national-series titles in the same year. The two cousins remain closely connected, and James’s success helped open doors for Christopher as he rose through the ranks.
Personal Life
Buescher married his wife, Emma, in 2018 during the Easter weekend of the NASCAR schedule. In December 2022, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Charley, and they also have an adopted child, Travis. Buescher and Emma live on a micro-farm near New London, North Carolina, where they keep a wide variety of pets and outdoor toys, and they volunteer with the local humane society in nearby Albemarle.
2025 Season Performance
Buescher opened 2025 with a tenth-place finish in the Daytona 500, immediately logging a strong early result for the No. 17 RFK Racing team. The season took a difficult turn following the Kansas race, when the No. 17 was issued an L1 penalty for a reinforcement behind the front bumper foam that exceeded two inches. The initial penalty included a sixty-point deduction, a five-playoff-point loss, and a US$75,000 fine, with crew chief Scott Graves receiving a two-race suspension.
After the National Motorsports Appeals Panel reviewed the case, three members ruled that RFK Racing had broken some, but not all, of the rules cited. The penalty was amended to a thirty-point deduction for driver and owner, a five-driver and owner playoff-point loss, the same two-race suspension for Graves, and the same US$75,000 fine. The revised penalty moved the No. 17 team out of the playoff picture early.
Despite the points setback, Buescher remains a steady veteran presence inside the RFK Racing garage, and the team has continued to show the road-course speed that produced his 2024 Watkins Glen win. Buescher is under contract with RFK Racing after signing a multi-year extension, signaling that the organization views him as a long-term building block as it works to return to the Championship 4.
