NASCAR Cup Series driver Chris Buescher. Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

NASCAR Cup Series star to make Truck Series debut at Watkins Glen

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 4, 2025 11:16 AM ET

The defending NASCAR Cup Series winner at Watkins Glen has been added to a stacked NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series field for Friday’s race at the iconic New York road course.

Chris Buescher, the full-time driver of the No. 17 Ford for RFK Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, will pilot the No. 66 Ford for ThorSport Racing in the Mission 176 at Watkins Glen on Friday, the team announced on Monday.

@Chris_Buescher is set to make his NASCAR Truck Series debut this Friday at Watkins Glen, driving the No. 66 https://t.co/yJLe9nHRr0 Ford F-150 for ThorSport Racing.

Tune in at 5 PM ET on FS1 to watch Buescher return to a track he knows all too well - this time in a different… pic.twitter.com/U7ZVOGQIti
— ThorSport Racing (@ThorSportRacing) August 4, 2025

Buescher will join fellow Cup Series stars Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell in the race, which is the penultimate event of the Truck Series regular season.

Buescher has become one of the best road-course racers in NASCAR over the last five years and beat Shane van Gisbergen in a last-lap duel at Watkins Glen in 2024.

The 32-year-old native of Prosper, Texas, has never made a start in the Craftsman Truck Series, despite being a veteran of 57 ARCA Menards Series starts, 74 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and 352 Cup Series starts.

The ThorSport No. 66 is 19th in Truck Series owner points through the first 16 races of 2025.

Practice and qualifying will take place on Friday afternoon on FS2, with the Mission 176 going green shortly after 5 p.m. ET. Coverage will be provided by FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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