“So much out of your control”: Chase Briscoe critiques chaotic Superspeedway opener for the first round of NASCAR’s bracket challenge

When NASCAR launched the In-Season Challenge bracket at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, Chase Briscoe expected drama, unpredictability, and a $1 million prize. But what it delivered was pure chaos.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was one of 16 eliminated from the first round following a massive crash that swept up nearly the entire field. Speaking on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, Briscoe didn't hide his disappointment with the format:

"I thought the race to watch was just incredible there at the end. But, as the competitors side of me, I definitely don't love the superspeedway to start off a bracket challenge and even really being in the bracket at all. It definitely changes things. There's so much out of your control as a driver, but it was the same for everybody." (0:19 onwards)

The 2025 In-Season Challenge was NASCAR's bold new concept for a five-race, single-elimination bracket featuring the top 32 drivers by points before Atlanta. Chase Briscoe entered the bracket ranked second, thanks to a strong season that included a recent win at Pocono.

But any hopes of riding that momentum into a deep run were wiped out in seconds. A 23-car wreck triggered on Lap 69 ended the day for Briscoe and several others. As Denny Hamlin and John Hunter Nemechek made contact up front, the field stacked up.

Briscoe was running mid-pack when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. bumped him into Carson Hocevar, damaging the front end and chassis of the No. 19 Toyota. NASCAR officials immediately waved the red flag, as the race paused for seven laps.

"The teams that moved on, they did a good job or missed the wrecks or whatever. But, I think for me, I definitely would have liked to have been able to control my destiny a little bit more and just kind of go to tracks where, you feel like there's just more for the whole team, right? Where it's kind of more of an entire team effort," Briscoe added (0:41 onwards).

And although his 19 crew worked tirelessly for over 30 minutes to get him back out, a NASCAR official ruled the car unsafe due to chassis damage. Hamlin recalled in his Actions Detrimental Podcast that Briscoe's crew chief, James Small, was infuriated by the decision and even had an altercation with the officials.

Chase Briscoe was eventually handed a DNF in 35th place and was out of the In-Season Challenge.

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Chase Briscoe's Atlanta crash leads to In-Season Challenge loss to Noah Gragson

Chase Briscoe (L) and Noah Gragson, before the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 at Echo Park Speedway. Source: Getty

To make matters worse, Chase Briscoe's bracket matchup was against his close friend Noah Gragson, the No. 31 seed. Gragson, who barely made it into the bracket, survived the crash and advanced to Round 2 with a 25th-place finish. A day after the race, Gragson took a jab at Briscoe on social media when he bid for Briscoe's race-worn gloves, lost in the Atlanta wreck.

Briscoe's son is also an avid fan of the Front Row Motorsports driver No. 4, and losing to him, perhaps, makes it even tougher to swallow. Gragson will face No. 15-seeded Ryan Preece in the next round.

"I thought for the bracket challenge, that would have just been a better overall product, at least from the competitors side of things. From the fans side, it definitely created chaos, which is a lot of fun," Briscoe said via Sirius XM (1:03 onwards).

The contrast was stark. Just a week prior at Pocono, Briscoe won his first race at Joe Gibbs Racing and confirmed his postseason berth. A week later at EchoPark Speedway, the very nature of pack racing and unpredictable carnage ended his shot at the $1 million prize, making him one of the biggest losers in the Quaker State 400.

Noah Gragson and driver Chase Briscoe before the 2024 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Source: Imagn

As the NASCAR Cup series moves to the Chicago Street Course for Round 2, the In-Season Challenge continues July 6, where 16 drivers will battle head-to-head once again. But for Chase Briscoe, the $1 million dream is over before it began.