Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece are locked in a potential two-way fight for the final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. At least for now, though, the two drivers from the three-car RFK Racing stable don’t plan to be anything less than courteous to each other on the racetrack.
Of course, plans can change in the heat of battle, which both admit is a possibility. But Buescher and Preece say they’d prefer to keep their manners about them and let the best man advance into the 16-driver playoff field.
RFK Racing Drivers Accustomed To Showing Each Other ‘Respect’
With 13 drivers having punched an automatic ticket into the playoffs by virtue of winning at least one race this season, only three spots remain up for grabs with just two races left in the regular season.
For all practical purposes, though, only two spots are truly available for the taking. That’s because Tyler Reddick — the winless driver with the highest point total — is 117 points, or nearly two full races, ahead of Ryan Preece.
However, Chris Buescher, who sits squarely on the playoff bubble just ahead of Preece, has a far less robust 34-point lead on his teammate. Alex Bowman, the driver just ahead of Buescher, is 60 up on Preece. While it’s mathematically possible for both RFK teammates to make the playoffs by leapfrogging Bowman over the final two regular season races, the far more likely scenario is that Bowman will hang on while Buescher and Preece settle the final transfer position among themselves.
No matter how it all shakes out, the two teammates certainly don’t mind having a down-to-the-wire duel to secure the last playoff berth.
“To be honest with you, Chris and I race really well together,” Preece, who is looking to make the playoffs for the first time, said on a recent Zoom call with reporters. “So, I think we have enough respect for each other on the racetrack to do it the right way, and we’re gonna race hard.”
Buescher, a 2024 playoff qualifier, doesn’t anticipate any problems from his first-year teammate over the next two weekends.
“It is nice to be racing against your teammate because you know the level of respect,” he said during his prerace media availability last weekend at The Glen. “You know what to plan for when you race around each other. We have certainly had that all year.”
The Gloves Could Eventually Come Off For Chris Buescher And Ryan Preece
Although RFK Racing teammates Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece would love to race each other 100% clean, neither is ruling out the possibility of getting a little aggressive out of necessity.
“It is a little more difficult to put a bumper on a teammate and shove him out of the way if the situation calls for it,” Buescher said.
Preece, for his part, would only entertain laying a bumper to Buescher if Buescher struck first.
“I typically try to race everybody with the level of respect that I would want back,” Preece said. “And when I’m not raced that way, they just get raced the same way back.”
The battle between Preece and Buescher could get especially complicated if they arrive at Daytona for the regular season finale separated by just a few points. That’s because, due to the need at Daytona for good drafting partners, teammates tend to rely more heavily on each other there than just about any other track.
So what happens if Preece and Buescher are running near each other at Daytona, with a playoff appearance on the line?
“Obviously, we’re gonna take care of each other when it comes to superspeedways,” Preece said. “And the last few laps, you’ve just got to do the best you can to try and win that race.”
Whether it’s at Daytona or at Richmond Raceway this weekend, the teammates don’t plan to cut each other any slack. Well, maybe just a little slack.
“It will be good hard racing,” Buescher said. “That is the agreement within the shop. We are not letting each other have anything. We are all teammates, but we are competitors still. But I think you have to race your own shop with just a little added level of respect.”
