Darlington, S.C. (Sept. 5, 2021) – Despite starting in the back of the field and battling the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’ for 367 grueling laps, Roush Fenway Racing’s Chris Buescher drove his bright orange No. 17 Roush Performance Ford to a ninth-place finish in Sunday night’s 500-mile race at the famed Darlington Raceway.
The finish was Buescher’s second top-10 finish at Darlington this season and his fifth of the season.
Buescher started the race 34th but needed only 15 laps to advance into the field’s top 15. He finished Stage 1 in the 19th position and advanced to as far as 12th by the end of the second stage on lap 230.
The team employed a varying pit strategy requiring less stops during the third and final stage, with Buescher staying on the track longer than the majority of the field and moving to as high as third position on lap 272. The strategy ultimately played out with Buescher able to stay out after a late caution on lap 323 and restarting in fifth position with just over 30 laps to go in the race and moving on to the ninth-place finish.
The race marked the second consecutive week that Buescher brought his Ford across the finish line in the top 10 at the race’s conclusion.
