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Chris Buescher pulled away on a restart with three laps to go to win at Richmond Raceway on Sunday and snag one of many remaining spots in NASCAR’s playoff field.
Buescher led 88 laps and was forward by almost six seconds when a warning got here out with underneath 10 laps to go. That erased his lead over Virginia native Denny Hamlin, who was booed by his hometown crowd in pre-race.
However Hamlin acquired a poor remaining restart and Buescher simply pulled away for his first Cup Collection win of the season, third of his profession.
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Chris Buescher raises the Prepare dinner Out 400 Trophy in Victory Lane after profitable a NASCAR Cup Collection auto race, Sunday, July 30, 2023, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photograph/Skip Rowland)
“I knew that final restart was going to be powerful, however I knew we had the pace on this factor,” Buescher mentioned.
He and RFK Racing teammate Brad Keselowski led a mixed 190 of the 400 laps of their Fords. Keselowski, now a component proprietor of the staff, led 102 laps on the 0.75-mile oval.
Buescher began twenty sixth and needed to drive the sphere for the win that locked him into the 16-driver playoff subject with 4 races remaining within the common season. Buescher grew to become the thirteenth race winner this 12 months and there are three playoff spots up for grabs over the following month.
It was the 139th Cup win for major staff proprietor Jack Roush, second since Keselowski joined the possession group.
Ford now has 723rd wins in NASCAR’s high Cup Collection.
“All people at RFK Racing who has labored so onerous to get us thus far,” mentioned Buescher.
Chris Buescher waves the checkered flag in Victory Lane after profitable a NASCAR Cup Collection auto race, Sunday, July 30, 2023, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photograph/Skip Rowland)
Hamlin, winner final week at Pocono, completed second in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Kyle Busch was third in a Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, adopted by the Fords of Joey Logano from Crew Penske and Ryan Preece of Stewart-Haas Racing.
“One win is nice, however you get three or 4 or 5 and you then really feel so much higher,” mentioned Keselowski. “It positive beats not having any in any respect, however we need to maintain going. It’s good to have one automotive locked within the playoffs. We have to get each automobiles locked within the playoffs. Now we have a great factors hole, however we would like wins and that is the place we must be.”
Keselowski, regardless of being winless this season, remains to be mathematically in rivalry for the playoffs.
The race was slowed simply thrice by warning flags, with the ultimate yellow sending the leaders to pit street for 4 tires with eight laps to go. When the inexperienced flag was proven once more, Buescher used the within line to drag away for his third profession victory.
CARSON HOCEVAR STARTS FIRE AT RICHMOND DURING VICTORY CELEBRATION
Hamlin’s bid for the victory ended on the second lap of the ultimate dash when he drove in too deep within the first flip and slid up the observe. He completed 0.549-seconds behind Buescher.
Chris Buescher celebrates along with his staff after profitable a NASCAR Cup Collection auto race, Sunday, July 30, 2023, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photograph/Skip Rowland)
“I acquired a foul restart,” Hamlin mentioned. “I needed to get better an excessive amount of floor from what I misplaced on the frontstretch. Virtually acquired to the skin, after which in flip 4, virtually acquired to the skin once more, after which in flip one, I used to be like ‘I’m simply going to ship it in there and attempt to get to the skin another time’ and I simply carried manner an excessive amount of pace and locked up the left entrance tires.”
LARSON-HAMLIN
Kyle Larson, angered final week when Hamlin induced him to hit the wall whereas main whereas Hamlin went on to win, was working just a few laps down when he nudged Hamlin out of the best way with 70 laps to go throughout Sunday’s race.
Larson, who gained at Richmond in April, completed nineteenth.
“I feel he was having a irritating day,” Hamlin mentioned. “It is all good.”
SCORCHER
With temperatures within the mid-80s, it was about 15 levels cooler than Saturday, when the temperature approached 100 and the warmth index was at the very least 105.
However, factors chief Martin Truex Jr. nonetheless struggled.
“It was positively actually, actually sizzling,” he mentioned. “It felt longer than 400 laps. I’ll be sincere, after we acquired to the top of stage two —– I assumed there was no manner. I assumed that was the checkered flag. It simply felt actually, actually lengthy.”
Truex completed seventh.
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CLEAN RACE
All 36 automobiles that began the race had been nonetheless working on the finish.
UP NEXT
The sequence strikes to Michigan the place Kevin Harvick, winless to this point on this his remaining season, is the defending champion.
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