James Buescher second at Michigan NASCAR Nationwide event

[NickHolt]

James Buescher second at Michigan NASCAR Nationwide event

 

James Buescher and the No. 30 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet rolled into the “Irish Hills” of Michigan sporting the colors of new partner Amway. With Amway hailing from Ada, Mich, Buescher and the No. 30 team wanted to have a strong showing for their hometown crowd. The 22-year-old didn’t disappoint, capturing his second top-five of the season and crossing the finish line in the runner-up position.

 

With a lot of unknowns at the newly repaved two-mile speedway, the Turner Motorsports team spent the three practice sessions on Friday tweaking on the setup of their black and green Amway machine. Buescher radioed to crew chief Trent Owens, explaining the car was loose in the corners at both ends of the high-banked track. The crew went to work and made a number of adjustments to their 3400-pound machine, hoping to find a combination Buescher liked. By the end of final practice, Buescher felt like he had a car that could compete for the race win.

 

Buescher started the 125-lap race on the outside of the second row and was confident his Amway Chevrolet would make its way to the front. He radioed into his crew on lap seven, explaining the car was loose on initial entry into the corners, and he had very little mechanical grip. Owens told his driver to take care of his machine, and they would make some adjustments during the next caution period.

 

The yellow flag was displayed to the 43-car field on lap 25. Buescher and the Amway Chevrolet crew used the caution period to come to pit road. The No. 30 rolled into pit stall five on lap 27, and the team immediately went to work changing four tires and filling the car with Sunoco racing fuel. They also made a slight chassis adjustment, hoping to find the balance Buescher was seeking.

 

The race was restarted on lap 30 with Buescher and the Amway Chevrolet in the ninth position. On lap 35, Buescher radioed Owens to say the adjustment really helped the car come to life, and he was able to keep his foot on the throttle. In only 23 laps, Buescher drove his Chevrolet Impala to the race lead and started to slowly pull away from the field.

 

On lap 80, Buescher commented that the car was still just a tick loose on initial entry into the corners. However, the loose condition certainly wasn’t hindering his ability to run fast, as the Plano, Texas native continued to run lap times as quick as the race leader.

 

On lap 89, Buescher rolled down the pit lane to make a green flag pit stop. In addition to changing four tires and filling the No. 30 Amway Chevrolet with fuel, the Turner Motorsports team also made a miniscule chassis adjustment.

 

The final 25 laps were plagued with a number of caution periods, which allowed Buescher time to strategize on how he was going to capture the lead. Buescher had the Amway Chevrolet lined up in the second spot for the final, four-lap shootout, and he and Joey Logano battled for the win coming to the checkered flag. Buescher came up a bit short, crossing over the finish line in the second position.

 

“What a day,” commented Buescher after the second place showing. “I first want to thank Amway for coming on board this week. They are a fantastic company. We had a great car today. I tried to get Joey [Logano] going into turn one on the final lap, but it just wouldn’t stick. Trent Owens and all the guys on this No. 30 Turner Motorsports car worked really hard, and it showed. Today was really fun. The track is really fast, and we all had to do a little give and take. I am looking forward to a week off before getting back in the No. 31 Exide Batteries Chevrolet Silverado in Kentucky in two weeks.”

 

The No. 30 Turner Motorsports team will be back in action next Saturday, June 23, at Road America. The Sargento 200 will be televised on ESPN, with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio Channel 90.