BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 19, 2020) – Chris Buescher and the No. 17 Fastenal team rode a fast Ford Mustang to an eight-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway with a late-race charge and smart pit strategy. The strong finish netted Buescher’s seventh top-10 result of the season. 

Buescher rolled off the grid 23rd and was up to 21st when the first yellow of the race came at lap 27. The team made quick work on pit road, picking up four spots while changing four tires and adding fuel to the Fastenal Mustang. Back on track in 17th, the driver was able to stay steady for a while but got shuffled back a few positions with reports of a tight handling Ford. Later in the stage, Buescher was the fastest car on track and showing promise to drive to the front of the field. Slowed by traffic, he ultimately took the green-white checkered flag 21st for stage one.  

The team visited pit road at the stage break for tape, fuel, a track bar adjustment and fresh tires. After a quick stop, Buescher got back on track to restart 20th. Buescher held his track position until the caution flag waved again at lap 232. Still battling a tight handling Mustang, the team took the opportunity to pit for four tires, fuel and more adjustments, with another quick stop allowing Buescher to restart 13th. The race went back to green for a nine-lap shootout. The stage ultimately ended under caution and the team finished stage two in 14th. 

Feeding off of their momentum from the stage two finish, the team elected to stay out during the stage break and restarted 11th. Buescher was shuffled back to 14th on the restart, but held his track position for most of the stage. The Prosper, Texas native entered the top ten around lap 375 when green flag pit stops began to cycle through.  

Pit strategy worked to the No. 17 team’s advantage as they waited to pit when the caution flag waved at lap 406. A quick stop for four tires and fuel enabled the driver to restart eighth, but one lap down. As the remainder of the race went caution free, Buescher was able to maintain track position and keep up lap times to take the checkered flag for the 500-lap event in eighth. The finish marks Buescher’s seventh top-10 of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Chris Buescher – Bristol Advance
Team:                   No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief:         Luke Lambert
Race Format:  266.5 miles, 500 laps, Stage Lengths: 125-125-250

Bass Pro Shops Night Race – Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90
                                                                                                                                                                 
ADVANCE NOTES
‘World’s Fastest Half Mile’ Next Up for Cup Series

• The NASCAR Cup Series takes to Bristol Motor Speedway for the third time in 2020, and second points event, as the series is set for 500 laps under the lights Saturday night in Tennessee.
• Saturday’s race will mark the fourth of five consecutive events under the lights, and second-straight short track Saturday-night event, with a rare Las Vegas evening event coming up next weekend.
• The starting lineup will once again be set by three competition-based performance metrics, rewarding both season-long and single-race performance. The lineup will be announced later this week prior to Saturday night’s event.
• Four weeks of NASCAR action were completed prior to the COVID-19 hiatus with races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville postponed before the schedule later picked back up in mid-May.

 
Buescher Historically at Bristol

• Buescher will make his 11th Cup start at Bristol on Saturday, where he has a best result of fifth, which came in the 2016 fall race.
• He most recently finished 23rd at the half-mile track in May, and last season ran 17th in the fall event. Buescher has an average starting position of 23.6 with a career-best 12th-place start in 2016.
• In five Xfinity starts at Bristol, Buescher has three top-10 runs, including a career-best third in 2015.

 
Luke Lambert Historically at Bristol

• Lambert will be atop the box for his 17th NCS race at Bristol. In 16 prior starts, he has five top-10s with a career-best fifth in the spring 2015 race with Ryan Newman. His average finish is 15.5.
• Dating back six events, Lambert has four finishes of 12th or better, including two-straight top-10s with Newman in 2017-18.
• Lambert is a former winner at Bristol in the NXS, bringing home one of his four career Xfinity wins back in the 2012 spring race. He and Elliott Sadler started fourth in the No. 2 machine and led the final 36 laps for the victory.

 
QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Bristol:
“I’m excited to get back to one of my favorite tracks in Bristol, and anytime we race under the lights on a short track, it’s sure to be exciting and full of drama. We’re looking for a strong run in our Fastenal Ford, and hope to get back on track as we close out the last set of races this season.”

Last Time Out
Buescher finished 25th last weekend at Richmond.

Where They Rank
Buescher is 21st in driver standings through 28 events.
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On the Car
Fastenal celebrates its 10th season with Roush Fenway Racing in 2020. The Minnesota company spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping to the No. 17 Cup Series entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.
Honeywell, Norseman, Dewalt, Masterlock and Gearwrench will ride aboard the No. 17 as Fastenal Racing’s featured suppliers Saturday in Bristol.

• Honeywell, now headquartered in Charlotte, will ride on the hood.
• Norseman, a drill and tool manufacturer will ride on the TV panel.
• DeWalt, an American worldwide brand of power hand tools, will ride on the deck lid.
• Masterlock, a longtime leader in padlock and security products, will ride on the lower rear quarter panel.
• Gearwrench, a premier mechanics hand tool brand, will ride on the b-post.

 
About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.