Chase Briscoe aces throttle management for NASCAR Cup Collection victory at Pocono Raceway on Sunday afternoon in The Nice American Getaway 400.
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 onerous work translated into his first trophy, edging his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin in The Nice American Getaway 400 introduced by VisitPA.com at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.
Chase Briscoe Victory at Pocono
It got here right down to the suspenseful very remaining laps, Briscoe having to save lots of as a lot gasoline as potential whereas sustaining the lead the final 34 laps with Pocono’s all-time winningest driver Hamlin and a two-time Pocono winner, Group Penske’s Ryan Blaney instantly 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 gasoline – finally beating Hamlin throughout the road by 0.682-second to formally punch his win-and-in 2025 Playoff ticket. The 30-year-old Indiana-native led a race greatest 72 of the 160 laps on the day and even had sufficient gasoline for the well-deserved victory celebration.
“There was quite a bit [of pressure],” a smiling Briscoe conceded. “It was sort of bizarre. I wasn’t driving laborious so it’s not like I used to be on the ragged edge, nevertheless it was simply so laborious having a man chasing you, particularly the man that’s the best of all time right here, to be attempting to save lots of gasoline and all the things else.
“Simply a tremendous day for our race workforce,” he continued, “Actually the primary race we’ve executed all 12 months lengthy.”
Pocono’s All Time Finest – Denny Hamlin
Hamlin, a three-time winner this 12 months 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 greatest. 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 gained in 2023 and now has completed second within the two races since.
“It was positively going to be troublesome,” mentioned Hamlin, who began on pole place, gained the opening stage and led 32 laps. “The workforce did an ideal job and we had been subsequent greatest in line of our technique, it simply didn’t work out.”
“We’re actually robust and never displaying up with any weaknesses proper now, actually happy with the trouble we put forth,” he continued. “Simply like to get extra wins however nonetheless general stable day for us, now we transfer on to the following sequence of races.”
Ryan Blaney from the Again to the Entrance
Blaney, who earned his first profession NASCAR Cup Collection victory at Pocono in 2017 and answered with a win final 12 months, additionally had an ideal 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 automotive following qualifying. And. … his rally got here in a problematic cool-suit that compelled him to run greater than 100 laps with out the gadget working appropriately on the steamy scorching summer time 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 12 months.
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 completely 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 mentioned. “I’ve been telling my spouse the previous few weeks, I’ve to win and so to return 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. Group Penske’s Austin Cindric rounded out the highest ten.
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 remaining points-only switch place.
Up Subsequent
The NASCAR Cup Collection strikes to Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway for Saturday evening’s Quaker State 400. The race begins at 7 p.m. ET on TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio – the In Season Bracket Problem Spherical 1 race of the $1 million to-win five-race sequence.
Group Penske’s Joey Logano is the defending race winner. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell gained at Atlanta this February.
