“We are greedy. We want more.” Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing driver uttered these words after Sunday’s race. Chris Buescher had more than a point to prove at the Watkins Glen International Cup Series event. Not only did he have the responsibility to defend his 2024 crown, but he also had to retain the 16th playoff spot. The first goal slipped out of his hands, but he achieved the second goal grandly. Even after doing so, he did not sound satisfied.
NASCAR’s current playoff system pushes drivers to fight for not only wins but also points. For a driver like Chris Buescher, who has been winless since the 2024 Watkins Glen race, points are essential to clinch a playoff spot. He is doing a great job so far, but his personal views conflicted with his goals.
Chris Buescher wants a bigger win
For a driver who prioritizes excellence, the playoff system can be a bother. The Cup Series format allows drivers with single wins or no wins at all to bounce into the playoffs and fight for a championship. This wildly rivals the earlier full-season points format, where the driver with the most trophies would automatically be crowned the winner. Chris Buescher, among other drivers, misses that time. Ironically, however, the current format is helping Buescher still stay afloat in the playoff conversation. Wheeling the No. 16 RFK Racing Ford, Buescher passed Alex Bowman, another driver in dire need of points, early in the race. That pass propelled Buescher to his second stage victory of the season and to a bountiful reward of points.
Currently, Chris Buescher sits 34 points ahead of his RFK teammate, Ryan Preece, and is also on the playoff bubble. The 44 points earned by Buescher in Watkins Glen also ranked second for the race, trailing Ryan Blaney’s 45. Despite the advantage he got, Buescher could not help but cancel the playoff system: “I keep spewing the same line, I certainly hate points racing. I know, while it didn’t give us a bad result by any means today, you have to think it hinders your best opportunity to win. And the situation we’re in, we get it.”
#NASCAR … Chris Buescher continues to hold the final playoff spot. Here is what he had to say … pic.twitter.com/LnRUfdVPBx
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) August 10, 2025
After Watkins Glen, potential wild-card events are looming at Richmond Raceway and Daytona International Speedway. If there is a new winner from beneath the elimination line, the battle would be for the next position, not held on points. With Alex Bowman finishing 20th on Sunday, Buescher gained 14 points, just 26 points behind. Buescher has advantages in both races, as he clinched victories in Richmond and Daytona back in 2023. Hence, he has his goals cut out in front of him: “At the end of the day, the next two weeks need to be solid weeks. We need to go there, bring fast Mustangs — and we need to win.”
Chris Buescher was not the only one left chafing after failing to win on Sunday.
When a friend’s warning turns true
That seems like the worst feeling, right? And Ryan Blaney tasted a bit of that after the Watkins Glen race. The Team Penske star clinched the pole for the race, beating Shane van Gisbergen by just 0.033 seconds. However, Blaney’s best friend, Bubba Wallace, dropped some ominous words on him. After SVG won three straight road course victories earlier this season, it seemed unlikely that he would let go of The Glen unless some unforeseen mishap occurred. So Blaney recalled Wallace’s warning after qualifying, “Bubba actually came up to me after qualifying and said, ‘Congrats, but now he’s going to make you look really bad’. So I was like, ‘Hey, one day at a time. I beat him one day.”
Sadly, Ryan Blaney‘s confidence fizzled out during the race. He started strongly and won the second stage, and led 35 laps, the second-highest just after SVG. However, like Chris Buescher, Blaney could not reach Victory Lane. Blaney reflected on his 6th-place finish: “I just lost speed, handling, and where the track was at, probably a little bit, and just lost pace. But overall, really good effort by our whole group, and I wish we could have finished a few spots better than that. But overall, it was a really good weekend, and I’m proud of the whole effort. Good showing on a road course for us.”
Clearly, Chris Buescher is not the only one working hard to clean up their finishes. With his points advantage, let us see how far the RFK Racing goes into the playoffs.
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