NEWTON, Iowa (May 18, 2014) – James Buescher came into Iowa Speedway looking to turn his RAB Racing team’s season around, but a loose wheel late in the race and an unscheduled pit stop forced the Texas native to settle for a 19th-place result. Qualifying 14th for Sunday afternoon’s Get to Know Newton 250, Buescher quickly moved up to the 12th position just after green flag waved over the 40-car field. Following a lengthy green-flag run, the 24-year-old competitor worked his way into the 11th spot by lap 41 when the first caution flag was displayed. Crew chief Chris Rice called Buescher to pit road during the caution period for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to correct the tight-handling condition his driver reported. After the great pit stop by the Rheem team, Buescher restarted in the 10th position, but fell back in the running order as the handling issues he previously reported persisted. The crew continued to make adjustments on the Rheem Toyota Camry during multiple scheduled pit stops, but a loose lug nut following a lap-146 pit stop forced Buescher to return to pit road just three laps after the restart. After the unscheduled green-flag pit stop, Buescher dropped back to 28th in the running order, three laps down to the leader. Buescher took the wave around and was awarded the Lucky Dog during the following two caution periods, placing him only one lap down to the leader. As the final laps ticked away, the Toyota driver worked his way through the field and crossed the finish line in the 19th position, one lap down to the lead lap cars.
James Buescher Quote:
“Unfortunately we had another unlucky break this weekend. My Rheem team worked extremely hard all weekend to find a good balance for our brand-new chassis. Coming out of our final practice session on Saturday, I felt really good about our chances for today’s race. I just hope that we can get some luck to fall our way so we can get Rheem and my team the finishes they deserve. I look forward to getting on track at Charlotte (Motor Speedway) this week and race in front of many of my team’s family members.”
Upcoming Race:
The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to the backyard of many NASCAR teams next week for the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 24. The event can be seen on ABC starting at 2:30pm EDT. The event can also be heard on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, channel 90 and the Performance Racing Network.
| Final Practice | Position: 8 | Fastest Lap: 23.747 sec. | Laps: 37 |
| Qualifying | Position: 14 | Fastest Lap: 23.494 sec. | |
| Race | Position: | Laps Completed/Total: |
