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

Chris Buescher's NASCAR playoff hopes in a 'terrible spot' after Richmond

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 11:47 PM ET

Chris Buescher entered Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway 34 points above the playoff cut line. He'll leave the Virginia short track 60 points below it.

A clutch victory from Austin Dillon knocked Buescher out of the 16th and final provisional playoff spot and bumped Alex Bowman to the bubble. A win is now the only path to the postseason for Buescher, who is looking to avoid a heartbreaking end to his season for the second year in a row.

Buescher finished 30th in Saturday's Cook Out 400.

"We just weren't very good," Buescher told Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass. "Just not competitive enough. We are in a must-win heading into Daytona. It's a terrible spot to be in for a plate race. I know we'll be fast, but so many wild things can happen. We won it before, we'll certainly regroup from this one and get ready to go."

Chris Buescher finished 30th and now must win at Daytona to make the playoffs. His thoughts: @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/0gnREnM2Ls
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 17, 2025

Buescher scored his lone Daytona victory in August 2023, though that win came when Buescher was already locked into the playoffs with two victories. This year, he'll have to contend with his RFK Racing teammates in Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski, both of whom also have to win at Daytona to make the Cup Series playoffs.

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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