Roush Fenway Racing Makes Crew Chief Change

Roush Fenway Racing is making a major change for the remaining five races in the Cup Series season. Ryan Newman and Chris Buescher will swap crew chiefs, as well as road crews, starting with the Charlotte Roval race on October 10.

FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass first reported the news prior to the postponed YellaWood 500 on October 3. Scott Graves will move to the No. 17 team while Luke Lambert will move to the No. 6 team. He also clarified that this change will not involve the crews that go over the wall during the pit stops.

Lambert and Buescher have spent two Cup Series seasons together, combining for two top-five finishes. They nearly had a third at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 28, but NASCAR disqualified the No. 17 after a failed post-race inspection. Buescher and Lambert most recently combined for a sixth-place run in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 4.

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Newman Will Reunite With Lambert & Pursue More Wins

Lambert joining the No. 6 team at the Charlotte Roval and beyond marks a reunion of sorts. He and Newman have considerable experience working together, dating back to their time with Richard Childress Racing.

Lambert became Newman’s crew chief at the start of the 2014 season, kicking off a five-year run. They worked together to make the No. 31 Chevrolet competitive, resulting in 19 top-five finishes and 60 top-10s. The duo also reached Victory Lane in 2017 at Phoenix Raceway to lock up a spot in the playoffs.

While the 2017 season featured a win, the 2014 season served as the most productive for Lambert and Newman. The duo combined for 16 top-10s and five top-fives during the year as Newman fought for key playoff points. The driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet secured a spot in the championship four by virtue of points, and he finished second overall behind Kevin Harvick in the final race of the season, as well as in the season-ending points standings.

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Graves & Buescher Have Achieved Considerable Success Together

While Buescher has not worked with Graves at the Cup Series level, he has a productive history with the crew chief. They previously joined forces during the 2014 and 2015 Xfinity Series seasons and became champions together.

The 2014 campaign started poorly for Buescher and Graves. The driver of the No. 60 Ford did not qualify for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. He could not compete until the second week when he finished 15th at Phoenix Raceway. However, the slow start did little to disrupt the season. Buescher and Graves combined for one win, five top-fives, and 14 top-10s. He ended the season seventh in the points standings.

The duo achieved greater success during the 2015 season. They combined for two wins — Iowa Speedway on May 17 and Dover International Speedway on May 30 — along with 20 top-10s and 11 top-fives. This list of starts includes a runner-up in the season-opening race at Daytona.

Buescher capped off the year as the Xfinity Series champion after piling up 1,190 points. He held off Chase Elliot (1,175 points) and Ty Dillon (1,172 points) to secure the trophy for Roush Racing. Months later, Buescher made the leap to the Cup Series and joined Front Row Motorsports for a full, 36-race schedule.

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