By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief
FORT WORTH, Texas – Current NASCAR XFINITY Series championship leader Chris Buescher doesn’t have anything announced for next season, but says he likely will return to NASCAR’s second-tier tour.
Buescher, a two-time winner in XFINITY this season, ran six races in the Sprint Cup Series this season for Front Row Motorsports with his highest finish being 20th at Auto Club Speedway. The Roush-Fenway Racing driver did not appear to be unsettled about having nothing prepared for 2016 during a conference with the media today at Texas Motor Speedway.
“Nothing is set,” said Buescher. “It has been an awesome year for us. We have gotten a handful of wins and should have had another two that I am saying were extremely close. I look toward next year and more than likely we will be doing another year of XFINITY and I am good with that.”
Even with the six Sprint Cup starts made this year, Buescher admits the big step up in competition and doesn’t feel any need to rush his development.
“I think as you look through, there have been a handful of names that have been rushed up ahead and tried to be put into something that they may have thought they were ready for but it is a very big jump up to the next level,” Buescher said. I am glad I got the handful of starts I did with Front Row earlier this year. It made you realize really quickly the competition level and intensity of the racing is a lot different, especially as you close in on the later stages of a race.
“There (are) a lot of things that go with moving up. It isn’t just a matter of pure speed. There are a lot of things to learn and if you aren’t ready and don’t perform at that level as soon as you move up it is very easy to get forgotten about, get labeled and not have that chance again as you go forward.
“If we run another year in the XFINITY in 2016 I am all for it. I am in no rush. I turned 23 a couple weeks ago so I am one of the older guys in XFINITY I feel like now but I am in no rush. I feel good about where we are at.”
