Late-race fuel issues threatened, but Chris Buescher kept going all the way to his first checkered flag in the NASCAR Nationwide Series today at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Buescher claimed the lead with 24 laps to go but still had to worry about fuel on his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford despite getting help from a caution involving Jeff Green with 20 laps to go.
On the final lap, Regan Smith began to cut into Buescher’s lead and in the last few corners, Buescher encountered the lapped car of Tim Cowen.
With a win on the line, Buescher moved Cowen up as they went through the Carousel and then drove to a 1.1 second-win over Smith.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Buescher told ESPN. “I wasn’t sure if I was happy or disappointed [with the Green caution]. I knew we’d have a little more fuel, so that was gonna be good, but it bunched us all up there.
“But this Ford Mustang was fast and we pulled right away – actually, we were just cruising there at the end. My fuel pressure light started flashing at me. But I wasn’t about to tell [crew chief] Scott [Graves] that.”
Brian Scott finished third, followed by Nationwide Series points leader Chase Elliott in fourth, and Alex Tagliani in fifth. Scott led a race-high 39 laps, the bulk of which came in the first half of the race.
Scott and Sam Hornish Jr. battled for the lead as the race moved to the middle stages with Buescher right behind them. Then on Lap 51, Hornish suddenly went to the garage after he damaged the motor after missing a shift; he would return to the pits later, but did not come back to the race.
In a separate incident on the same lap, Kenny Habul came to a stop in the Keyhole grass to bring out the caution. Race leader Scott then led the front runners to the pits, but he was blocked in by Buescher and had to back up in order to get out of his box. That cost him several positions as Smith and Tagliani beat him out of the pits.
A group of nine drivers led by Trevor Bayne stayed out to go ahead of the previous leaders that pitted. When the green came back out at Lap 55, those previous leaders were led by Smith in 10th.
Scott suffered further issues when he and Tagliani made contact coming out of Mid-Ohio’s rhythm section, sending him off-course. On Lap 59, Scott hit the pits to have his crew clear the accumulated grass on his grille and top up the car on fuel.
With 29 to go, Bayne finally went in for service, handing the point to Brendan Gaughan (who had last pitted on Lap 41). Five laps later, Gaughan went in himself and Buescher assumed control.
Running behind Buescher in second was Green. But with 20 laps to go, Green’s throttle reportedly stuck open as he went into Turn 5 and he ran straight into the tire barriers to bring out caution No. 5. He was evaluated and later released from the infield care center.
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES AT MID-OHIO – Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200
Unofficial Results
1. 60-Chris Buescher, led 25 laps
2. 7-Regan Smith
3. 2-Brian Scott, led 39 laps
4. 9-Chase Elliott
5. 22-Alex Tagliani
6. 31-Justin Marks
7. 11-Elliott Sadler
8. 42-Dylan Kwasniewski
9. 6-Trevor Bayne, led 9 laps
10. 43-Dakoda Armstrong
11. 19-Mike Bliss
12. 16-Ryan Reed
13. 40-Matt DiBenedetto
14. 01-Landon Cassill
15. 23-Cody Ware
16. 39-Ryan Sieg
17. 17-Tanner Berryhill
ONE LAP DOWN
18. 86-Tim Cowen
19. 3-Ty Dillon
20. 62-Brendan Gaughan, led 5 laps
TWO LAPS DOWN
21. 44-Carlos Contreras
THREE LAPS DOWN
22. 51-Jeremy Clements
23. 93-Tomy Drissi
FIVE LAPS DOWN
24. 74-Bobby Reuse
SIX LAPS DOWN
25. 99-James Buescher
NINE LAPS DOWN
26. 28-J.J. Yeley
10 LAPS DOWN
27. 52-Joey Gase
—
28. 4-Jeffrey Earnhardt, Lap 72, Running
29. 14-Jeff Green, Lap 70, Accident
30. 54-Sam Hornish Jr., led 12 laps, Lap 51, Engine
31. 20-Kenny Habul, Lap 51, Engine
32. 70-Derrike Cope, Lap 43, Suspension
33. 87-Stanton Barrett, Lap 35, Transmission
34. 79-John Jackson, Lap 13, Electrical
35. 10-Blake Koch, Lap 12, Vibration
36. 15-Carl Long, Lap 11, Suspension
37. 55-Timmy Hill, Lap 10, Brakes
38. 46-Josh Reaume, Lap 7, Electrical
39. 77-Roger Reuse, Lap 3, Transmission
