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2016 Season in Review: Chris Buescher

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am 500 - Qualifying

AVONDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 11: Chris Buescher, driver of the #34 Dockside Logistics Ford, walks on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 11, 2016 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Chris Buescher

CREW CHIEF: Bob Osborne

TEAM: Front Row Motorsports

POINTS: 16th

WINS: 1 (Pocono II)

LAPS LED: 12

TOP 5s: 2

TOP 10s: 2

POLES: 0

WHAT WENT RIGHT: It was a rough rookie season for Buescher in the Sprint Cup Series. Still, there were some high points, most notably his fog-shortened win at Pocono on Monday, August 1 (had been delayed due to weather the day before). … Two weeks after his win at Pocono, he finished fifth at Bristol, his only other top-5 or top-10 in 2016. … By winning at Pocono, Buescher also qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, but was eliminated after the first round.

WHAT WENT WRONG: After winning the Xfinity Series championship in 2015, Buescher struggled far more often than achieving success in his first fulltime season in the Sprint Cup Series. Sure, he earned one victory, but two top-5/top-10 finishes meant little compared to four DNFs, an average start of 26.2 and an average finish of 26.1. All told, he had four finishes from 11th to 19th, 19 finishes from 20th to 30th and 11 finishes from 31st to 40th.

WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2017: The Prosper, Texas native moves to JTG-Daugherty Racing, which expands for the first time in its history from a single-car team to a two-car operation in 2017. … With new teammate A.J. Allmendinger, Buescher should show some improvement in his sophomore season. JTG-D has a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, which should give a performance boost for Buescher, who is expected to drive the No. 37 Chevrolet.

Follow @JerryBonkowski