Chris Buescher Wins Thriller at Iowa Speedway

Chris Buescher and all but one driver battling at the front of the pack yearned for one last caution, and they got that break with only a few laps left in the race.

The lone exception? Chase Elliott, who, fully fueled, had powered to a commanding lead and near-certain win in Sunday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series 3M 250 at Iowa Speedway.

Two laps remained. Elliott’s trip to Victory Lane loomed. Then, it happened.

Jamie Dick, running mid-pack, hit the wall and spun, drawing a caution flag.

Buescher — his No. 60 Roush Fenway Racing Ford packed with fuel and four fresh tires — smiled, charging hard and low on the restart to cap a temper-tinged and thrill-filled race with a green-white-checkered triumph at the 7/8-mile short track.

"When that happened, I knew we had an awesome shot at it," said Buescher, who raced to the series standings lead by eight points over Ty Dillon, who finished 14th.

Buescher had on-track help — namely from Roush Fenway teammate, Darrell Wallace Jr., who provided a strong nudge as the race went green.

Maybe more than a nudge.

"(He) gave us a heck of a shot on the restart," said Buescher, who relegated Elliott to second while notching his first win of the season and Roush Fenway’s fifth in 11 XFINITY Series races at Iowa. "It was a hard hit. That was almost a crash. It was exactly what we needed to get going and get to the inside and be able to pull this win off."

Elliott took the runner-up finish in stride. He led 114 laps. His car ran fast all day long. The late-race pit strategy — partly because of minor right-side damage, he pitted on lap 177 while other leaders stayed out — nearly paid off.

"That’s racing some days," said Elliott, who like Buescher enjoys a series-leading five top-five finishes this season. "You make a decision — and I think it was a good one. We had some right-side damage and it was good to come in and make sure that was OK rather than to face the opposite of that, cutting down a tire and have a day like we did in Talladega. So I think it was the right move."

Erik Jones climbed from 35th to take third. Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney completed the top five.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race - 3M 250
Iowa Speedway
Newton, Iowa
Sunday, May 17, 2015

1. (4) Chris Buescher, Ford, 259, $91509.
2. (6) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 259, $70020.
3. (1) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 259, $57688.
4. (3) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 259, $40566.
5. (13) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 259, $36811.
6. (8) Darrell Wallace Jr, Ford, 259, $33637.
7. (14) Ben Rhodes, Chevrolet, 259, $32286.
8. (5) Brandon Jones(i), Chevrolet, 259, $31236.
9. (10) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 259, $30106.
10. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 259, $30123.
11. (7) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 259, $28617.
12. (16) Ryan Reed, Ford, 259, $28062.
13. (18) John Wes Townley(i), Chevrolet, 259, $27532.
14. (9) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 258, $27003.
15. (19) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 258, $26873.
16. (20) David Starr, Toyota, 258, $26321.
17. (21) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 257, $26094.
18. (2) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 257, $27042.
19. (24) Cale Conley #, Toyota, 257, $25615.
20. (25) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 257, $25888.
21. (15) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 257, $25261.
22. (23) Blake Koch, Toyota, 256, $25130.
23. (40) Kenny Wallace, Toyota, 256, $18978.
24. (29) Todd Bodine, Chevrolet, 255, $24828.
25. (30) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, 255, $24852.
26. (22) Boris Said, Toyota, 254, $24575.
27. (31) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 253, $24449.
28. (33) Peyton Sellers #, Chevrolet, 252, $18298.
29. (36) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, 247, $18171.
30. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 247, $18345.
31. (39) John Jackson, Dodge, 247, $17889.
32. (17) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, Accident, 215, $23778.
33. (27) Eric McClure, Toyota, Accident, 160, $23662.
34. (26) JJ Yeley, Toyota, Accident, 151, $23551.
35. (32) Ryan Ellis(i), Toyota, Electrical, 99, $17436.
36. (35) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, Brakes, 68, $15678.
37. (28) Harrison Rhodes #, Chevrolet, Suspension, 42, $14678.
38. (12) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, Parked, 39, $19678.
39. (34) Charles Lewandoski, Toyota, Brakes, 4, $12678.
40. (38) Carl Long, Toyota, Electrical, 0, $11678.