09/16/2020
Chris Buescher | Bristol Advance
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.
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.
