LONG POND, Pa. — Chase Briscoe has earned a NASCAR Cup Collection season-best 4 pole positions and led laps in eight races in his first season driving the well-known No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and eventually – lastly – on Sunday afternoon that arduous work translated into his first trophy, edging his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin in The Nice American Getaway 400 introduced by VisitPA.com at Pocono Raceway.
It got here right down to the suspenseful very closing laps, Briscoe having to avoid wasting as a lot gas as attainable whereas sustaining the lead the final 34 laps with Pocono’s all-time winningest driver Hamlin and a two-time Pocono winner, Crew Penske’s Ryan Blaney straight in his rearview mirror, pushing him lap after lap.
However Briscoe did it – completely executing throttle management to take care of the lead and never run his Toyota Camry out of fuel – finally beating Hamlin throughout the road by .682-second to formally punch his win-and-in 2025 Playoff ticket. The 30-year-old Indiana-native led a race finest 72 of the 160 laps on the day and even had sufficient gas for the well-deserved victory celebration.
“There was rather a lot [of pressure],” a smiling Briscoe conceded. “It was form of bizarre. I wasn’t driving onerous so it’s not like I used to be on the ragged edge, but it surely was simply so onerous having a man chasing you, particularly the man that’s the best of all time right here, to be attempting to avoid wasting gas and every thing else.
“Simply an incredible day for our race staff,” he continued, “Actually the primary race we’ve executed all yr lengthy.”
Hamlin, a three-time winner this yr who’s returning to competitors after lacking final week’s Mexico Metropolis race to be residence in North Carolina for the delivery of his son, confirmed why he’s a seven-time Pocono winner, the observe’s all-time finest. His runner-up end marks the tenth time he’s completed first or second on the distinctive 2.5-mile three-turn Pocono oval. He received in 2023 and now has completed second within the two races since.
“It was undoubtedly going to be tough,” stated Hamlin, who began on pole place, received the opening stage and led 32 laps. “The staff did an important job and we have been subsequent finest in line of our technique, it simply didn’t work out.”
“We’re actually sturdy and never exhibiting up with any weaknesses proper now, actually happy with the hassle we put forth,” he continued. “Simply like to get extra wins however nonetheless general stable day for us, now we transfer on to the subsequent sequence of races.”
Blaney, who earned his first NASCAR Cup Collection victory at Pocono in 2017 and answered with a win final yr, additionally had an important strategic day repay together with his third-place end – particularly spectacular contemplating he began from the again of the grid after making changes on his automobile following qualifying. And. … his rally got here in a problematic cool-suit that compelled him to run greater than 100 laps with out the machine working accurately on the steamy sizzling summer season afternoon.
RFK Racing driver Chris Buescher, who like Blaney earned his first profession NASCAR Cup Collection win at Pocono (2016), began his No. 17 Ford on the skin of the entrance row and was among the many day’s 9 leaders – finally ending fourth. Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott was fifth with back-to-back top-five finishes for the primary time this yr.
Briscoe’s victory – the third of his profession – makes him the eleventh driver to earn a place within the 16-driver Playoff area – the sixth totally different in simply the final eight weeks.
“To lastly ship a win is such an superior feeling. … such an enormous weight off my shoulders,” Briscoe stated. “I’ve been telling my spouse the previous few weeks, I’ve to win and so to come back right here and do, it’s a nice day.”
Legacy Motor Membership’s John Hunter Nemechek completed sixth, adopted by Hendrick Motorsport’s Kyle Larson, RFK’s Ryan Preece and RFK owner-driver Brad Keselowski. Crew Penske’s Austin Cindric rounded out the top-10.
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron began from the rear of the sphere after a qualifying accident, moved ahead at one level, however finally took a Twenty seventh-place end. He nonetheless leads the NASCAR Cup Collection championship standings by 54 factors over his teammate Larson.
With 9 races remaining to set the Playoff area, Hendrick’s Alex Bowman sits in that Sixteenth-place place, 20-points up on Preece for that closing points-only switch place.
The NASCAR Cup Collection strikes to Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway for Saturday night time’s Quaker State 400 – the In Season Bracket Problem Spherical 1 race of the $1 million to-win five-race sequence.
Crew Penske’s Joey Logano is the defending race winner. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell received at Atlanta this February.
