For a 20-year-old, James Buescher has been winning races for a long time.
He won at age 14. He won at age 16.
But finally, this spring, in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he stopped winning. He had only one top 10 in 10 starts, with an average finish position of 24.5.
Which is nothing like he's used to.
So when he got a chance to run full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, it didn't matter that the season was already three weeks old. And it didn't matter that his Nationwide season had gone nowhere -- from a cold start, Buescher roared to a pair of top 5s, finishing second at Dover three weeks ago and third at Charlotte two weeks ago.
And Thursday, he ran the second-fastest lap in the final practice and qualified third for tonight's WinStar World Casino 400k at Texas Motor Speedway.
Already, the Truck Series feels like home.
"I think it was a good decision that I made to come back here," Buescher, now a Katy resident, said.
It wasn't a tough decision.
Buescher is driving for Turner Motorsports, which is owned by Steve Turner, the father of his fiancee. Buescher had been planning a part-time run in the trucks, anyway, but Turner wants him to run full time the rest of the way. And as a full-time rookie in trucks last year, Buescher showed promise with three top 10s and a top 5.
He'll never say never if Nationwide or Sprint Cup come calling, but for now, the Truck Series is all his.
"It's possible I can make a home here or go on to Nationwide or the Cup level," Buescher said. "Whatever opportunities are given to me, I can decide if I want to take them or not. If the right opportunity is given to me, I can probably try to make a home there."
Texas Motor Speedway is like home, too.
Raised in Plano, Buescher has watched races at TMS and has raced and won on the TMS dirt track, the infield road course, the infield quarter-mile track and Lil' Texas Motor Speedway.
But his resume includes more than TMS. Just two days from his 17th birthday, he became the youngest driver to win an ARCA race when he won his first start in that series. At 14, he was a Bandolero Young Gun national champion.
Success in the Truck Series plays off that experience.
"It's about putting yourself around the right people that want to work with you," he said. "If you have the equipment to be able to run up front, you can contend for wins. I think that's what we have."
Nationwide and Cup rides are bound to be in Buescher's future, but that doesn't mean he has to leave the Truck Series behind. Houston driver David Starr said the circuit can be part of any driver's long-term career.
"Whether you've been a star in Sprint Cup or you're an up-and-comer or had your glory days there, you can find a home in the Truck Series," Starr said.
Buescher drove for Phoenix Racing in the Nationwide Series, and he didn't like leaving that team in midseason.
But with Turner Motorsports, he gets a chance to work with a crew chief, Michael Shelton, making his own debut in the job. Both crew chief and driver will get a chance to grow together.
"Michael has done his homework in a lot of things. It's like he's been doing this for 10 years," Buescher said. "The trucks are driving awesome. Everything that can be done to make everything perfect is being done on this team. I think it's definitely showing."
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