Chase Briscoe makes feelings known on his maiden Indianapolis pole as Denny Hamlin crashes during qualifying

NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 - Source: Getty
NASCAR Cup Series drivers Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe - Source: Getty

Chase Briscoe is all set to start Sunday's Brickyard 400 Cup Series race from pole as his teammate, Denny Hamlin, crashed out of the qualifying. This is the #19 driver's first pole at his home track, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he is geared up to convert it into a race win.

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Briscoe, who hails from Mitchell, Indiana, is one of Joe Gibbs Racing's full-time drivers. He joined Joe Gibbs' team this year and immediately impressed his team with his performance. His latest pole at the renowned Indy track is a testament to that.

Briscoe denied Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing from claiming the pole, as Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick, and Ty Gibbs completed the top-five starting positions. However, Briscoe's pole was partly possible because of his teammate, Hamlin, who ended up crashing during the qualifying.

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The #11 driver was the last driver on the line to go for a flying lap, and looked promising as he throttled out for pole. Interestingly, he was also faster in terms of pace and needed to complete the lap to snatch the pole from Briscoe. However, Hamlin, while trying to pick up pace, slid and slammed the wall on his right. As a result, he spun and slammed the wall on his left, and the crash ended his day, leaving him in 39th place.

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As Chase Briscoe qualified for the pole after Hamlin's crash, he was asked to share his emotions. Speaking about his day, here's what he told Indianapolis Motor Speedway's media channel:

"Truthfully, I'm holding back tears. It's just so cool, every time I get to come here and feeling the support here, I've obviously raced at a lot of other race tracks, but there's no other race tracks that gives me the love and support this place does. So just proud to be here, whoever from here, the state of Indiana, the state gets behind the driver than anywhere else."
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"So yeah, hopefully can put on a show for all the Hosier fans tomorrow and it's gonna be really special you know to lead this field to green. But definitely wanna win tomorrow. There will be nothing cooler than winning the Brickyard 400, so yeah, hopefully we can do it," he further added.
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The 160-lap, 400-mile, Championship Round - Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG will take place on Sunday, July 27 at 2 PM ET at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle Larson is the defending winner of the race.


Where is Chase Briscoe standing in regular season championship?

Chase Briscoe is in eighth place in the regular season championship with 570 points after 21 races. Having won the Pocono Cup Series race, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has already qualified for the NASCAR playoffs.

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Chase Briscoe (19) navigates around Turn 11 at Sonoma Raceway - Source: Imagn
Chase Briscoe (19) navigates around Turn 11 at Sonoma Raceway - Source: Imagn

So far, Chase Briscoe has picked up eight Top-5s, 10 Top-10s, four poles, and faced three DNFs. He led 192 laps in total, and has an average start position of 11.238 and an average finish position of 14.048.

Briscoe's teammates, Denny Hamlin, is in fourth place with 663 points, Christopher Bell is in sixth place with 635 points, and Ty Gibbs is in 16th place with 448 points.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma
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