After the last set of pitstops under the green flag, Buescher took the lead. However, Truex, who had emerged victorious in the initial two stages, was right behind him with a powerful No. 19 Toyota.
With approximately 12 laps remaining out of a total of 200, Truex made a move on the inside of Buescher and briefly took the lead.
Buescher, on the other hand, took advantage of the nearby lapped car driven by Michael McDowell to strategically block Truex and regain the lead with only 10 laps left.
Buescher skillfully maintained his lead over Truex and narrowly beat him by a margin of 0.152 seconds at the finish line, securing his second back-to-back victory of the 2023 season.
The win is the fourth of Buescher’s career and it’s the first time since 2010 that Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing has won consecutive races.
“I want to express my gratitude to all the fans who joined us on Monday. It was truly amazing,” Buescher expressed. “I’m happy that we were able to successfully complete this event. I understand it has been a lengthy weekend.”
“I received another fantastic car from my team. I had to put in a lot of effort, as the race was quite challenging towards the end. Martin showed great sportsmanship towards me, and I am grateful for that. It’s amazing to be able to celebrate in Victory Lane for two consecutive weeks. It’s truly remarkable.”
Denny Hamlin finished in third place, Brad Keselowski, who is Buescher’s teammate, came in fourth, and Kyle Larson completed the top five positions (and was the sole Hendrick Motorsports driver to complete the race).
Completing the top-10 were Daniel Saurez, Ross Chastain, Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones.
Stage 1
Truex successfully fended off Bubba Wallace’s late surge on a restart with only six laps remaining, securing the victory in Stage 1. Ty Gibbs finished in third place, followed by Keselowski in fourth and Larson in fifth.
During the race, Kyle Busch collided with Blaney while they were fighting for position. As a result, Busch lost control and crashed into the wall at Turn 2, forcing him to retire from the race after completing 15 laps.
Chase Elliott experienced a punctured rear tire and collided in Turn 2 shortly before the end of the initial stage, resulting in an early trip to the garage.
Stage 2
Truex passed Suarez through the final turn on the last lap to win Stage 2 once the race resumed on Monday. Keselowski was third, Wallace fourth and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five.
Before the race was halted after lap 75 by rain on Sunday, Christopher Bell spun out early in the stage just after he took the lead from Bowman.
Stage 3
Several cars on the lead lap chose to make a pit stop for fresh tires and fuel during the break between Stages 2 and 3. However, Buescher decided to stay on the track and took over the lead position. Truex, who was the first to exit the pit road, positioned himself in 10th place for the restart.
Bowman became the third Hendrick Motorsports driver knocked out of the race after getting collected in a multi-car incident on the backstretch just as the final stage got underway.
Buescher and Tyler Reddick initiated the last round of pit stops under green flag conditions in order to acquire fresh tires and fuel, ensuring they could complete the remaining 40 laps of the race.
Reddick had to quickly go back to the pit road due to a wheel that was not properly secured, resulting in a longer stop.
After finishing the pit stops, Buescher regained the lead in the race with 18 laps left. Truex, on the other hand, was closely trailing behind, only a few car lengths away.
Truex successfully maneuvered past Buescher, taking a momentary lead, but Buescher cleverly utilized a slower car to gain an advantage and regain the lead with only 10 laps remaining.
Leave a Reply