YellaWood 500: Chase Briscoe Claims First Superspeedway Victory
In a thrilling finish at Talladega Superspeedway, Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) secured his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series win in the YellaWood 500, making a dramatic last-lap pass. Briscoe crossed the finish line 0.145 seconds ahead of Todd Gilliland from Front Row Motorsports, with Ty Gibbs, also from JGR, finishing in third. This victory positions Briscoe for his inaugural championship opportunity, joining teammate Denny Hamlin.
Briscoe’s triumph, marking his first career win at a superspeedway, was aided by Gibbs, who provided crucial drafting support. “Ty Gibbs, just an incredible teammate,” Briscoe commented. “I honestly would not have won that race without Ty. It was an amazing team effort.”
Briscoe led only 16 laps, but notably, he led the decisive final lap. “I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race. I’ve never done it at any level,” Briscoe said, reflecting on the opportunity to compete for the championship at Phoenix.
Christopher Bell, another JGR driver, finished eighth, providing a crucial boost in the playoff standings. With Briscoe and Hamlin advancing through victories, Bell currently leads the points, 37 points above the cutoff line.
The race proved to be a disappointing day for Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske. Kyle Larson ran out of fuel while leading, eventually finishing 25th, while William Byron suffered a spin near the finish, placing 26th. Logano led the most laps but finished 16th, and Blaney was 23rd after both needed unscheduled pit stops during a caution.
“Really, really frustrating because you’re so close and… you can’t do anything about it,” said Logano, now ranked sixth in the playoff standings, 38 points below the cutoff. Blaney follows in seventh, 47 points back.
Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver,” faced an early exit, involved in a multi-car wreck just 51 laps in, finishing last. “I just got turned sideways and slid up into the wreck,” Elliott stated, emphasizing the need for execution in the final race at Martinsville, where he also needs a win to remain in title contention.
The top 10 finishers at Talladega included:
- Chase Briscoe (JGR)
- Todd Gilliland (FRM)
- Ty Gibbs (JGR)
- Bubba Wallace (23XI)
- Cole Custer (Haas)
- Zane Smith (FRM)
- Tyler Reddick (23XI)
- Christopher Bell (JGR)
- Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports)
- Brad Keselowski (RFK).
The final opportunity to secure a place in the Championship 4 happens this Sunday at the Xfinity 500 in Martinsville (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
