After securing a spot in the 2024 Daytona 500 via qualifying speed on Wednesday, David Ragan suddenly has two different RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horses to pilot in Friday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice from Daytona International Speedway.
In addition to his No. 60 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang, Ragan will also turn limited practice laps in the No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang, in place of full-time driver Chris Buescher, who has returned home to North Carolina to be with his wife, Emma, for the birth of their second child.
However, RFK Racing confirms that Buescher, a five-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, will return to Daytona International Speedway on Sunday to compete in ‘The Great American Race’.
In a statement released on Friday, RFK Racing says: “Chris Buescher has returned home to North Carolina to be with his wife, Emma, and daughter Charley, for the birth of their second child. He will return Sunday morning ahead of the Daytona 500. In the meantime, David Ragan will run limited laps in the No. 17 Fastenal Ford Friday, in addition to practicing the No. 60 BuildSubmarines.com Ford.”
— RFK Racing (@RFKracing) February 16, 2024
Buescher and the No. 17 Ford Mustang are slated to roll from 19th-place in Sunday’s Daytona 500, after finishing 10th in the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel on Thursday. The Prosper, Texas-native is no stranger to winning at Daytona International Speedway, capturing the victory in the regular-season finale at the 2.5-mile superspeedway last August, in what was a 1-2 finish for RFK Racing.
Alas, the 31-year-old driver should be in pretty good shape with Ragan, a previous winner at Daytona himself, practicing the No. 17 Ford Mustang, considering his recent record on superspeedways in the NASCAR Cup Series, which includes a trio of top-10 results for Rick Ware Racing in his last six starts.
Scoring three victories for RFK Racing in 2023, Buescher enters the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series campaign looking to continue what ended up being a breakout season. The former Xfinity Series champion has made eight prior starts in the Daytona 500, scoring three top-five finishes — including a fourth-place result in 2023.
