As the NASCAR Cup Series heads to COTA for the DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix, Chris Buescher is not just another contender in the field; for many fans in the Lone Star State, he represents something more personal.
The 33-year-old from Texas now competes full-time for RFK Racing, and over the last several seasons, Buescher has done his part to keep that Texas connection alive in the Cup Series garage.
Chris Buescher Built a Steady Career the Long Way
Texas once had major representation at NASCAR’s top level, which was defined by the success of the Corpus Christi brothers Terry Labonte and Bobby Labonte, who combined for three Cup championships and 43 race wins, and when their careers wound down, the state suddenly had a noticeable gap in star power.
Buescher has done his best to carry that torch forward.
Before reaching NASCAR’s biggest stage, Buescher earned success in several developmental levels of stock car racing by winning championships in Legends retro cars and quickly gaining attention as a young driver with strong racecraft. That momentum continued in 2012 when he captured the ARCA series title as a teenager, which helped solidify his reputation as a rising prospect.
Just a few years later, he added another major milestone by winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in 2015, which confirmed that he could compete consistently over a long season and handle pressure against experienced competition. His Cup Series career has followed a similar pattern, with six victories at NASCAR’s top level, the most recent coming at Watkins Glen in 2024.
Despite the success, Buescher has always been open about how drivers often remember the races that almost led them to a win, “I feel I’ve had a pretty solid career, but you always think about the close calls and near misses.”
Heading into the Austin weekend, his results have been steady with a seventh-place finish in the Daytona 500 and a 15th-place finish in Atlanta, which puts him 10th in the points standings.
Buescher Could Surprise at COTA
When the sport races on road courses, most conversations quickly turn to Shane van Gisbergen, as the Trackhouse Racing star has dominated these events last season by winning five of the six road and street course races on the schedule.
Gisbergen’s teammate, Connor Zilisch, also brings a strong road-racing background that many teams respect, and then there is Tyler Reddick, another driver with a history of performing well on these types of tracks and someone who arrives in Austin with momentum.
But Buescher’s name deserves to be in that conversation, too, as one of the most remarkable stats tied to him is his consistency. According to NASCAR Insights data, Buescher has finished on the lead lap in the last 40 road-course races since 2017.
That mark stands as the longest lead lap run on road courses in series history, even surpassing the previous record of 33 set by Hall of Famer Mark Martin.
Years ago, the Cup Series schedule only included Sonoma and Watkins Glen as road courses, but now the calendar features more variety, including four road courses this season, and that change has given drivers like Buescher more opportunities to show their skill. Buescher has posted three straight top-10 finishes in Cup races at the Austin track.
The Texas native also has another motivation this weekend, as racing in Austin means family and friends will be close by, and Buescher has often talked about enjoying trips back to the area, “I always look forward to coming down here. I’ve done Christmas here, New Year’s Eve music on Sixth Street, mountain biking in the Hill Country and we always find our way to Terry Black’s.”
For him, the COTA weekend feels familiar in a way that few races on the schedule do, and he would be looking forward to getting his first win of the season this weekend.
