There are probably more orthodox ways for NASCAR Camping World Truck Series rookie James Buescher to score a top-ten finish. He chose not to use any of those options on Saturday night, avoiding all accidents in the wild closing laps of the Built Ford Tough 225 en route to an eighth-place finish. It was his second career top-ten finish in Truck Series competition.
After qualifying 21st, Buescher was forced to manhandle a loose race truck and went a lap down in the early stages of the event, ultimately leading to him earning the free pass on lap 54. Pitting during that same caution period, Buescher's handling problems were, for the most part, corrected by crew chief Jamie Jones and the Circle Bar Racing team.
Even though Buescher still experienced some light sliding with his International MaxxForce Diesel Ford F-150, he drove his way into the top 15 for the first time on the evening and primed himself for a top-ten finish. That wish was realized when Buescher was one a few race trucks that avoided some wild bumper-to-bumper racing in the closing laps. Buescher found himself in eighth-place when the checkered flag dropped.
Buescher remains in 15th-
place in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, now 522 points behind series leader Ron Hornaday.
JAMES'S QUOTES ON MEMPHIS
How was your journey to an eighth-place finish? "It really started for us when we took fuel after getting the free pass. That worked out well—we stayed on the lead lap for the rest of the race and toward the end there, when everyone just started trying to wreck each other, we avoided all of it. We probably passed more (trucks) on the lap before the white flag lap than we had all night. We finished the deal and it turned out to be a really good night for our International MaxxForce Diesel team."
