Chris Buescher Reveals ‘Disbelief’ After NASCAR Playoff Spot Disappointment

Chris Buescher entered the final race of the NASCAR regular season with high hopes, but left in a state of “disbelief” after narrowly missing out on a playoff spot.

Buescher, who had a 21-point lead over Bubba Wallace for the 16th and final playoff spot, found his advantage quickly dwindling over the course of the race.

The dynamics of the race changed dramatically as Bubba Wallace gathered 11 stage points, significantly cutting into Buescher’s lead. Unfortunately, Buescher could only secure one stage point.

The pivotal moment came approximately 46 laps before the race concluded, when Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports collided with Buescher, sending him into the outside wall. In retaliation, Buescher spun Gilliland, complicating an already dire playoff scenario.

During a caution period, Buescher decided on a fresh set of four tires while Wallace did not, briefly boosting Buescher’s race performance. However, a subsequent multi-car crash took Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota out of contention, seemingly opening the door for Buescher.

Nonetheless, Chase Briscoe clinched the race victory, securing his playoff spot and leaving Buescher on the outside. Buescher finished the race in a respectable sixth place but missed the playoffs by a mere six points.

Reflecting on his narrow miss, Buescher explained to the media after the race, as quoted by Motorsport.com:

“It’s frustration and disbelief all together.

“We felt like we did, for the most part, what we needed to do today.

“We got back in contention there at the end and got a decent finish out of it. We just didn’t quite get it done again and we’re on the outside looking in. It’s just the system we’re all playing in. We had such a great year.

“Everyone at RFK has worked so hard. We’ve been so fast. We’ve outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for a championship, but that’s the system and we didn’t work it right.”

The system, which allows for “win and you’re in” despite point standings, permitted five drivers below Buescher to bypass him by securing individual race victories throughout the season.

Buescher concluded:

“I’m definitely gonna think back on different times throughout the year and we’ll figure out how to do better next time.”

NASCAR Cup Series: Cook Out Southern 500 At Darlington Raceway Results

1. Chase Elliott – Running
2. Ryan Preece – Running
3. Austin Cindric – Running
4. Brad Keselowski – Running
5. Austin Dillon – Running
6. Bubba Wallace – Running
7. Todd Gilliland – Running
8. Daniel Suárez – Running
9. Alex Bowman – Running
10. Ty Gibbs – Running
11. Harrison Burton – Running
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – Running
13. Zane Smith – Running
14. Erik Jones – Running
15. John H. Nemechek – Running
16. Shane Van Gisbergen – Running
17. Justin Haley – Running
18. Michael McDowell – Running
19. Daniel Hemric – Running
20. William Byron – Accident
21. Josh Berry – Accident
22. Noah Gragson – Accident
23. Carson Hocevar – Accident
24. Kaz Grala – Running
25. Timmy Hill – Steering
26. Martin Truex Jr – Accident
27. Ryan Blaney – Accident