Christopher Bell stormed to his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victory at Phoenix Raceway. However, was Bell the only driver who deserved the spotlight at the Shriners Children’s 500? Absolutely not.
Former Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick believes that one driver, apart from Bell, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin, deserves recognition for his impressive run at Phoenix Raceway.
Kevin Harvick Impressed by Chris Buescher’s 2025 NASCAR Performance
Chris Buescher, driver of the No. 17 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, has been exceeding expectations this season, consistently putting himself in contention for a win. Aside from the unfortunate incident at Atlanta, Buescher has been delivering strong performances, regularly battling against top drivers like Larson and Bubba Wallace.
Speaking on the “Happy Hour” podcast, Harvick shared his opinion that Buescher has been one of the most underrated drivers this season, quietly racking up points and climbing the standings with each race.
“Chris Buescher. Yeah, these guys are grinders, man. We’ve said it before. I mean, he is just so underrated for what he gets out of those cars. I don’t believe that was a fifth-place car, but they keep themselves in contention,” Harvick said.
“He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He doesn’t crash his car a lot, and that goes a long way in today’s racing world. We talk so much about wins and laps led, and they aren’t doing that, but I think there will be a time this year where he’s in contention to win some of those races when they nail it all.”
The 32-year-old American kicked off the season with a strong finish at the Daytona 500, earning 40 points. Buescher was on pace for another strong result in Atlanta before an incident with Alex Bowman forced him to settle for 30th place, though he still salvaged seven crucial points.
Buescher rebounded at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, where he gained 17 positions to take the checkered flag in seventh place. And at Phoenix, Buescher was one crash away from what could have been his seventh Cup Series win.
With another high-speed oval coming up in Las Vegas, the No. 17 team has another shot at victory. Will Buescher break through for his first win in 12 races, or will Bell continue his dominant streak and claim his fourth consecutive victory?