Buford and Big Machine Racing Earn Top 10 at Michigan
Saturday, Aug. 21, 2021
Race 23 of 33: New Holland 250
Track: Michigan International Speedway
Buford’s Finish: 9th
Jade Buford and the No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers team, owned by music mogul Scott Borchetta, earned their first top-10 finish of the season, placing ninth in Saturday’s challenging NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway. The impressive effort was Buford’s first career top-10 finish on an oval track and his second top 10 in NXS competition.
Buford started the 250-mile race from the 19thposition, turning his first ever laps at Michigan at the drop of the green flag. The 33-year-old driver was a quick study of the track. After initially falling outside the top 20 in the opening laps, Buford improved his position by several spots to take the green-and-white checkered flag to end the first stage in 16th.
Under the stage-ending caution the Big Machine Racing driver reported that he was really happy with his racecar, so the team opted to not make any adjustments during their pit stop for four tires and fuel. Buford fired off 21st for the second stage and narrowly avoided getting caught up in a multi-car incident that broke out ahead of him after the restart. Staying out under the caution, Buford restarted in 14th, but his Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Camaro developed a loose handling condition from the center of the turns and off. He battled through it to end Stage Two 21st.
During the stage break, crew chief Patrick Donahue made the call for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to improve the No. 48 Camaro’s handling. The adjustment seemed to help as Buford methodically worked his way from 18th up to 13th during the opening portion of the final stage. Buford was running in that same position when green-flag pit stops got underway with 22 laps to go in the race.
The long green-flag run had put much of the field a lap down including Buford, who was passed by the leader just a few laps before he came to pit road for fuel and a two-tire stop. Not long after the field cycled through pit stops a stalled vehicle brought out the caution. The No. 48 team breathed a sigh of relief after it was announced that Buford would receive the free pass for being the first car one lap down. Donahue called Buford to pit road for two fresh tires and sent him back out to restart in 11th with just five laps to remaining.
The final laps of the race proved to be eventful after another caution officially sent the 125-lap event into NASCAR’s version of overtime. Buford survived through two additional attempts at a green-white-checkered finish before ultimately crossing the line in the ninth position for the team’s first top-10 finish of the season.
Jade Buford, driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers Chevrolet:
“We got our first top 10 of the season, which feels amazing! The guys have been working so hard and we unloaded fast today. I’m so proud of this Big Machine Racing team. Our Spiked Coolers Chevy Camaro ran flawlessly all day, and the guys were awesome in the pits. I couldn’t be more excited or more thrilled for the future of this team.”
Next Up:
The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for the Wawa 250 on Friday, Aug. 27. Tune in to NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET