Chris Buescher has spent more than a decade racing against NASCAR’s biggest names. He’s won Cup Series races, helped build RFK Racing into a contender and established himself as one of the sport’s most dependable drivers.
But even he seems a little surprised by what awaits him Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
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Buescher will make his 400th career NASCAR Cup Series start in the Xfinity 500, a milestone that has the 33-year-old looking back at an opportunity he never expected to receive.
“How did that happen?” Buescher asked, reflecting on how quickly the years have passed.
It’s a fair question, considering his Cup career began with a phone call that interrupted breakfast.
Chris Buescher’s NASCAR Career Began With an Unexpected Call
In 2015, Buescher was busy pursuing what would become an Xfinity Series championship when an unexpected opportunity presented itself.
He was eating breakfast in Southern California when Robbie Reiser, then the general manager at Roush Fenway Racing, helped arrange a last-minute Cup Series opportunity with Front Row Motorsports.
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Buescher was needed at California Speedway to substitute for Brett Moffitt in the No. 34 Ford. There wasn’t much time to think about it.
“He said, ‘Hey, I need you at the track four hours ago.’ I was like, ‘OK I’ll pay and get out of here,'” Buescher recalled.
At just 22 years old, Buescher was suddenly preparing to compete against drivers he’d grown up watching.
One of them was Jeff Gordon.
“I’m not a big fan boy but when I passed him, I was like, damn that’s Jeff Gordon. That’s pretty cool,” Buescher said.
He finished 20th in his debut, a respectable result for a young driver thrown into the Cup Series with virtually no warning.
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The opportunity proved to be more than a one-race appearance. Buescher made five additional Cup starts that season before joining Front Row Motorsports full time in 2016.
And his first victory arrived much sooner than anyone might have expected.
From an Unlikely First Win to 400 Cup Series Starts
Buescher won at Pocono Raceway in August 2016, just 27 starts into his Cup career. The race was shortened by fog, delivering an unusual first victory for a driver still finding his footing at NASCAR’s highest level.
That win helped establish his place in the series, but his career has been defined by much more than one memorable afternoon.
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After several seasons with Front Row Motorsports and JTG Daugherty Racing, Buescher returned to the organization now known as RFK Racing. He has since added five more Cup Series victories, including three during the 2023 season.
Now, with 399 starts behind him, Buescher is preparing to join NASCAR’s 400-start club at one of its most demanding tracks.
“It’s cool to say that you’ve earned your place and have the right to be here for 400 starts,” Buescher said.
He’s also made it clear that he isn’t interested in treating the milestone as a finish line.
“Whether it’s another 100 or 400. We’re not gonna count them down. I’ve not counted them to this point and I’m not going to count them beyond.”
For someone whose Cup career started with a hurried trip from a breakfast table to the racetrack, 400 starts is quite a journey.
And Buescher has no intention of slowing down.
