When Chris Buescher takes the green flag on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, the RFK Racing driver will make the 400th NASCAR Cup Series start of his career. Reflecting on the milestone, Buescher acknowledged that the achievement arrived much faster than anticipated, looking back over a premier-tier journey that commenced in 2015 and has spanned portions of 12 seasons.
The path toward 400 Cup starts originated with an unexpected telephone call during Buescher’s championship-winning 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series campaign. While eating breakfast in Southern California, Buescher received a call from Robbie Reiser, then the general manager of Roush Fenway Racing, informing him that Front Row Motorsports required a substitute driver for that weekend’s race at Auto Club Speedway. At 22 years of age, Buescher departed his meal immediately and headed to the circuit, making his premier-series debut in the No. 34 Ford in an opportunity that proved to be a pivotal moment in his career.
Buescher guided the car to a 20th-place result in that initial appearance, later recalling it as a solid performance where the crew avoided vehicle damage, showed genuine speed, and found something that clicked immediately on track. That opening drive led to five additional Cup Series starts across the remainder of the 2015 season, ultimately securing him a full-time ride with Front Row Motorsports for 2016.
His breakthrough triumph followed swiftly. In just the 27th start of his Cup career, Buescher captured his maiden victory at Pocono Raceway in an event shortened by heavy rain and fog. The victory secured him a place in the NASCAR playoffs and validated his position at the sport’s highest level, with Buescher later laughing as he remembered how quickly visibility deteriorated along the straightaway before race officials brought the contest to a halt.
That initial victory launched a premier-series tenure that has yielded six career Cup wins and established the Prosper, Texas native as one of Ford’s most consistent competitors. Across tenures with Front Row Motorsports and RFK Racing, Buescher has earned a reputation for contending across a wide variety of circuit layouts. Despite reaching the 400-start plateau, he stressed that his career remains far from complete, noting that while it is gratifying to have earned his place over 400 starts, he has never counted his races and has no intention of tallying future appearances whether he completes another 100 or 400 events.
Sources: Chris Buescher Set for 400th Career NASCAR Cup Series Race This Weekend.
