James Buescher Reunites With Country Joe Racing; Prepares For Springfield Dirt Debut

Topics:  James Buescher, Allen Crowe 100

Chris Knight
Country Joe Racing
August 15, 2007

“Country Joe Racing Turns To Texas Native For Fourth Time This Season”

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Wednesday, August 15, 2007) – - There isn’t much that James Buescher can’t do. He’s proven he can be fast, he’s proven that he can win, but this weekend’s race from Illinois State Fairgrounds, Buescher hopes to further diversify his resume by posting a top-10 run for Country Joe Racing in the Allen Crowe 100 on the dirt.

Buescher hailing from Plano , Texas will make his fourth ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) start for Country Joe Racing and he’s hoping to reel in his impressive fourth consecutive top-10 run.

In his last outing at Berlin Raceway ( Marne , Michigan ), Buescher once again stormed to life blasting from his 12th place starting spot while soaring to third in the final rundown.

This weekend however presents an even more unique challenge for the avid racecar driver, his first stint on dirt in a stock car. With guidance from his Country Joe Racing team, Buescher knows he doesn’t have a lot to worry about, but admits there is some pressure.

“I’m glad to be back,” said Buescher, who scored his first ARCA RE/MAX Series victory earlier this year at USA International Speedway. “I can’t say enough about the team I’m driving for, they are an awesome bunch. But, I’m a little nervous. While, I know the dirt race will be exciting and a lot of fun, I also know the race will be competitive and I’m praying the lack of inexperience will not hinder me on Sunday.”

Buescher continued, “its races like these where you wish you had more practice, but we have to take what’s been handed to us and just give 150 percent.”

The youngest winner in ARS history also leans towards not only his veteran team, but the stout field of veteran drivers to learn his way around the 1.0-mile clay oval.

“Ken Schrader, Mark Gibson, Frank Kimmel, Justin Allgaier and Jason Leffler are just some of the drivers I plan to really watch and learn from on Sunday. We only have an hour of practice, but while I’m trying to find my groove, I’m going to be studying their every move, hoping to find the quickest way around Illinois State Fairgrounds,” sounded Buescher.

He added, “During the race, I’m sure pit strategy will come into place and I’ll rely on my crew chief Mike (Chaffee) to make the right calls and put us in a position to win. If I stay focused and do my job, we should easily walk away with another top-10 run.”

Should Buescher score the victory in the 16th race of the season, he will become the fourth driver this season to win more than one race this season joining NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series icons Erik Darnell and Chad McCumbee and ARCA superstar Michael McDowell who scored back-to-back victories at Kentucky Speedway and Pocono Raceway.

“If we didn’t think we had a chance to win this weekend, we wouldn’t be going. I’m not saying that this race is going to be a piece of cake, but we were able to overcome the challenges we faced at USA International Speedway ( Lakeland ) and still soared to the top. The goal is to keep the car cool, stay close to the front and be in contention in the final thirty laps or so. It would be great to give Country Joe Racing another win this season, but if we can’t, we’ll just deliver the best finish we can.”

Nate Thiesse, Director of Operations for County Joe Racing offered, “Country Joe Racing is thrilled to have James Buescher back with us this weekend. We’ve had a talented crop of drivers come through our team this season, but James has really shown a lot of maturity and dedication in his three previous races. We know heading into Springfield, we’ll see the same out of him as we have all year long and that gives us all something to be excited about!.”

Mercedes Homes and Red Line Oil will sponsor the No. 32 Dodge this weekend at Illinois State Fairgrounds.

The Allen Crowe 100 (100 laps/100 miles) is the 16 of 23 races on the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The 25th ARCA race held at Illinois State Fairgrounds is a one day show. Practice begins Sunday, August 19 with an hour practice (9:00am-10:00am) session planned. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is set for later in the morning at 11:00am Local Time. The event will take the green flag shortly after 1:00pm Local Time. The race will not be televised but additional race coverage can be found online at arcaracing.com

For more on Country Joe Racing, please visit CountryJoeRacing.com

James Buescher, Country Joe Racing, Illinois State Fairgrounds

Notes of Interest:

· James Buescher will make his fourth career ARCA start Sunday. In his three previous efforts, Buescher scored the win in the inaugural ARCA RE/MAX Series event at USA International Speedway (Lakeland) while posting a clean sixth place run at Salem Speedway in April before returning to the top-five at Berlin Raceway with a stout third place effort in July.

· Last year Country Joe Racing finished 12th after starting seventh with driver Blake Bjorklund aboard. In 2005, the organization finished 11th after delivering a sixth place qualifying effort with ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie-of-the-Year driver Joey Miller.

· James Buescher will make 400 left hand turns on Sunday.

· Country Joe Racing sits eighth in the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series car owner standings entering Springfield . The organization, who has fielded a car for a number of drivers this season, is 65 markers from seventh place controlled by car owner Eddie Sharp (No. 22). 110 points separate CJR from sixth in the car owner standings currently held by Clarence Brewer. The team jumped three spots from last week at Nashville Superspeedway after Michael Annett delivered an eighth place run.

· James Buescher joins Michael Annett, Todd Hansen and Joey Miller as the only repeat drivers for Country Joe Racing this season. Buescher will make his fourth start for CJR this season. The team has fielded a car for Ryan Howard (Daytona), James Buescher (USA International Speedway, Salem, Berlin and Springfield), Joey Miller (Nashville and Pocono - August), Todd Hansen (Kansas and Kentucky), Dan Fredrickson (Winchester), Matt Merrell (Toledo), Michael Annett (Iowa and Nashville - August), Johnny Sauter (Pocono - June), Chris Wimmer (Michigan) and Brian Scott (Kentucky – July) this season.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, County Joe Racing
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: knight849@aol.com