FORT WORTH – Texas’ very own Chris Buescher of nearby Prosper, is hoping to enjoy a homecoming celebration this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Chris Buescher.

The 23-year old stock car driver, who will be piloting the No. 34 Ford for Front Row Motorsports, will be the hometown favorite among the 40-car starting field for Saturday’s Duck Commander 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.  The 334-lap, 501-mile event begins at 6 p.m. and will broadcast live on FOX.

“It’s always nice to come back to Texas Motor Speedway,” Buescher said during an interview last Wednesday at TMS’ Media Day event at Gilley’s Dallas.  “Prosper is only 45 minutes up the road.  We always have a lot of friends and family out here.”

Buescher enters the race at TMS by riding a wave of success from last season.  He is fresh off from winning the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series championship where he amassed two wins, 11 top fives and 20 top 10s while competing for Roush Fenway Racing.

“We went into 2015 expecting to win the championship and that was our goal,” Buescher said.  “We knew that we were capable by the end of the season.”

Chris Buescher of Prosper, Texas is the driver of the #34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford this season on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images for NASCAR)

His rise to the top of the XFINITY season did not come easy.  He struggled out of the gate in 2014 and failed to make the field in his first race.  However, he rounded by earning one victory and finished the season ranked seventh in the final standings.

“Obviously in 2014 the beginning of the year went very terrible,” Buescher said.  “But it was a way to sit back and take it all in and realize that it was not the end of the world.  I was pretty upset about the whole situation and I understand why.

“We got our first win at a road course, which I’m not a road racer, so that was a pretty big day for us.  It prepared us for 2015 and giving it a run for the title.”

DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 30: 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series Champion, Chris Buescher, speaks on stage during the Texas Motor Speedway Media Day at Gilley’s Dallas on March 30, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway) *** Local Caption *** Chris Buescher

Last April at TMS, Buescher made his first appearance in a Cup car on the 1.5-mile oval.  He started 40^th and finished 30^th.  He has five starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series at TMS and his best finish was ninth at last year’s race in April.  He is only one of a handful of racers that has competed on every track configuration on the Texas Motor Speedway grounds.

“I have raced on every surface at TMS,” Buescher said.  “I love racing here and it has a lot of character in the racetrack, a lot of large dips in the groove and we are able to move around all the way from the bottom to the top.  It’s one of those places that puts on a great race and as a bonus it is my home track.”

Currently, Buescher is 35th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings with his best race coming at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a 26th-place finish.

Chris Buescher talks about the progress of his racing season during the Texas Motor Speedway Media Day event on Wednesday at Gilley’s Dallas. Photo by Mike Haag

“I feel like we learned a lot in Fontana that should translate very well to Texas with the surface being in similar condition,” Buescher said.  “I felt like we had a lot of speed in Fontana and we have a lot of notes to go off of and base our Texas program off of.

“We have been improving each and every week.  I feel really good coming back to this racetrack.  Hopefully we will get a top 15 out of it.  I feel like we are definitely making improvements and heading in the right direction.”