Catchfence

James Buescher - Photo Credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images

BUESCHER AT DAYTONA… Buescher has made three career starts at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Two of his three races at the famed 2.5-mile superspeedway came in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards, including last Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 where Buescher claimed the pole position en route to a fourth-place finish in his No. 51 Phoenix Construction entry. In February 2009, Buescher drove his car to Victory Lane in his first race at the legendary track. The Texas native started from the seventh position and led a total 44 of 80 laps on the way to his victory. Buescher also competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event last February, where he qualified in 13th-place and was passing for the lead when another competitor made contact to the rear of the truck.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – AGAIN… During the 2010 NNS season, Buescher will once again be competing for Rookie of the Year (ROY) honors. Last year, the 19-year-old raced full-time in the Truck Series, finishing third in the Rookie standings. Buescher will look to capture the prestigious award this time around, running against familiar faces such as Colin Braun, winner of the 2009 Truck ROY honors.

PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF… Buescher will reunite with his Phoenix Racing team to pick up where they left off last season, when the youngster drove the No. 1 Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway and Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in November 2009. During those two weeks, Buescher tallied two top 15 finishes. Last week, the pair had a jumpstart to their 2010 season as they worked together during the ARCA Racing Series event.

PLATE TRACK QUALIFIER… In three qualifying attempts at “The World Center of Racing,” Buescher has done very well – starting no worse than 13th-place, which came in last season’s Truck Series event. Buescher claimed a seventh-place starting position in last season’s ARCA race at Daytona, en route to his victory. In his most recent attempt at the Florida track, Buescher captured the pole position for the ARCA event last Saturday.

DID YOU KNOW?… Saturday afternoon’s race will be Buescher’s first start at Daytona in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

TWEET, TWEET… To stay up-to-date with the Texas native, follow driver Buescher (@JamesBuescher) and Truck Series team Turner Motorsports (@TurnerMotorspts).

STAY UP TO SPEED… The DRIVE FOR COPD 300 from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway will take the green flag this Saturday, February 13th at 1:15 P.M. Eastern. Race coverage will be televised live on ESPN2, beginning at 12 Noon Eastern. In addition, tune into ESPN2 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for live coverage of practice and qualifying.

QUOTES FROM BEHIND THE WHEEL:

BUESCHER (On returning to racing action at Daytona): “I’m excited to get back on track in Daytona. Last week, the Phoenix Racing team and I competed in the ARCA Racing Series event where we were able to qualify on the pole and finish fourth. The car that the guys put under me was very good and I know they will do the same this week for the Nationwide race. It was nice for us to get a little head start working with each other and it will help us skip the transition period at the beginning of practice. I’m very optimistic about this weekend and think that we can go out there and perform at the top of our game.”

- James Buescher Racing, Press Release