Chase Briscoe says he hated that JGR’s strategy didn’t pay off as Denny Hamlin swept past for his 60th NASCAR Cup victory

Chase Briscoe missed his spot in the Championship 4 after his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin grabbed the lead with four laps to go in Sunday’s Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and won the event. The Mitchell, Indiana, native will now have to wait for another week before he can try again.

During early pit stops, Briscoe had issues with his left-rear tire, which caused him to lose the lead in the first place. Hamlin had four fresh tires to battle the top two contenders at the time, who happened to be Kyle Larson and Briscoe himself.

Briscoe has his eyes on his career’s first NASCAR Cup Series title. He is now 15 points ahead of the cutoff line. Reflecting on his two-tire call late in the 267-lap event during a post-race interview with PRN’s Heather DeBeaux, the JGR newcomer said,

“At the end, I was just hanging on. As I ran, I kept getting free. James (Small, crew chief) made the right call there. I just hate that it didn't work out.”

In the end, Briscoe settled for a P4, marking his 15th top-five of the season. He is ranked fourth in the championship standings behind his other Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Christopher Bell. Rounding up the top five were Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, Bell, Briscoe, and 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick.

Next up for the drivers is the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Scheduled for October 19, Sunday, the 188-lap event will stream live on Peacock (2 pm ET onwards) with exclusive radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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“Glad at least a JGR car won”- Chase Briscoe reacts to his teammate’s pivotal triumph

Chase Briscoe would have been the happiest if he had won his way into the coveted Championship 4. But he found solace in the fact that his teammate Denny Hamlin won the race.

For Hamlin it was not just another win. It was his 60th career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series. He is now tied with Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time win list. Per reports, the Tampa, Florida, native became the 11th driver in the history of the Cup Series to reach the 60-win mark.

“Glad at least a JGR car won,” Chase Briscoe remarked after the race was over.

33 races into the season, Chase Briscoe has amassed seven poles, two wins, 15 top-fives, and 18 top-10s. He has led 865 laps so far with an average start and finish of 10.121 and 12.121, respectively. Briscoe picked up his maiden Cup Series victory back in 2022, making history as the 200th driver to win a Cup Series race. He used to drive for the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing at the time.