Chase Briscoe clinched his first NASCAR Cup Series win at the Pocono race, overcoming intense competition and pressure from some of the sport’s most accomplished drivers on July 23. The victory, which came after a season of challenges, marked a significant breakthrough for Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing, reinforcing their potential in this fierce playoff stretch.
The win was a culmination of skillful driving and careful fuel management, especially under pressure from NASCAR legends. Briscoe acknowledged the tension of leading against the greatest drivers on this track, emphasizing the importance of strategic execution throughout the race.
Briscoe Reflects on the Pressure and the Journey to Victory
Reflecting on his dominant performance, Briscoe admitted the pressure was intense but manageable, especially against someone he regards as the greatest at Pocono. He described the race as a moment where he had to balance the pace carefully without pushing his limits unnecessarily while planning fuel consumption meticulously.
“It was a lot of (pressure). It was kind of weird. I wasn’t driving hard. It’s not like I was on the ragged edge. It was so hard to have a guy chasing you, probably the guy that’s the greatest of all time here. Trying to save fuel and everything else. Really the first race we’ve kind of executed truthfully all year long,”
Briscoe explained. He also expressed gratitude toward Joe Gibbs Racing for betting on him, sharing that this win was an incredible feeling and a relief after enduring a demanding season.
“Joe Gibbs Racing took a big chance on me. I wasn’t everybody’s first choice. For me to be able to get here and finally deliver a win is just an awesome feeling. Anybody that has worked with me knows I’m normally overdriving, missing my marks all the time. My dad tells me all the time, ‘Slow down, you’ll probably go faster.’ It’s true there. Amazing day. To get Coach (Joe Gibbs) in victory lane after them taking a chance on me, it’s so rewarding truthfully. Just a big weight off my shoulders. I’ve been telling my wife the last two weeks, I have to win. To finally come here and do it, it has been a great day.”
—Chase Briscoe, race winner
Denny Hamlin on the Challenge of Regaining Track Position
Denny Hamlin finished second, acknowledging how difficult it was to reclaim lost ground after pit stops shuffled the running order. The timing of a caution allowed Briscoe and others to leap ahead, making it nearly impossible for Hamlin’s team to regain position in the closing laps.
“When five cars pitted and then the caution came and (Briscoe) and a bunch of guys jumped in front of us, I knew it would be really hard to give that track position back. It was just so hard to pass, so we did all we could. We were just next best in line. It definitely was going to be difficult,”
Hamlin stated. He credited his team’s efforts for keeping them competitive throughout the race despite the strategic setback.
“Team did a great job, next best in line there of our strategy, it just didn’t work out. We’re really strong. Not showing up with any weaknesses right now. I’m really proud of the effort that we’ve put forth and yeah, just love to get more wins But still it was a good overall solid day for us.”
—Denny Hamlin, second-place finisher
Ryan Blaney’s Resilience Despite Early Challenges
Ryan Blaney, who overcame both a malfunctioning cool suit and a speeding penalty, managed to recover strongly to finish third. He emphasized the physical toll of the race as well as the team’s efforts to adapt strategy after setbacks.
“It was hot (with a malfunctioning cool suit). I flipped it on probably lap 15. I was like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a long day, so… ‘ Was able to just keep going. Really proud of the whole 12 guys from starting in the back, making good ground. Then me speeding set us back again,”
Blaney recounted. He credited his crew chief and team for their smart adjustments, which helped him climb back through the field.
“(Crew chief) Jonathan (Hassler) and the whole 12 team did a good job of kind of figuring out what to do from the start of the race and after my mistake. Yeah, just kind of stuck really there at the end, all three of us just kind of running the same pace. Obviously, I would have liked to have won. I think after having to start in the back, then the mistake I made, I feel like we were recovered really well. Our car was fast enough to do it. Overall I feel we made the most of our day. Just a little extra would have been one or two spots team. Overall really proud of the effort of the whole 12 team.”
—Ryan Blaney, third-place finisher
Strong Performances from Other Leading Drivers
Chris Buescher finished fourth after a race marked by strong pace and a challenging restart. He noted how difficult it was to defend position on a track where passing is limited and expressed focus on maintaining speed to fight for wins moving forward.
“Everybody’s put so much work into it to get this point where we’re unloading cars that are just a pleasure to drive. So to be in the hunt was fun. The last restart, we started on the bottom, and I think I just got too low trying to defend and got in the marbles and slid up into the middle there and lost some time,”
Buescher explained.
He also reflected on the mindset required for the playoffs where victories are crucial.
“We’re chasing wins. Still in that mindset if we go to the race track and do what we did today, we’re chasing a win. How do we set ourselves up to have track position at the end to fight for a trophy? And today, a place like this with the speed we had, that brought points with it…Fast race cars bring points with them, and I think if we stick with this over the next handful of weeks, that part will come with it, but again I think we figured for the last couple months, it’s going to be a must-win situation I feel like these playoffs constantly do that, and you get to the end and have one or two that slip in on points but you’ve got to win races.”
—Chris Buescher, fourth-place finisher
Chase Elliott, who finished fifth, faced handling issues particularly in turn three, which grew worse as the race progressed. He commented on how this impacted his race strategy and opportunities to challenge the leaders.
“We were just really loose in (turn) three. I felt like I could pace pretty good through turns one and two, but I just could not get turn three right all day. Certainly as the run went on, it became more challenging for me and I started making more and more mistakes over there.”
“I thought Denny (Hamlin) and Ryan (Blaney) could do a better job of kind of stalking the person in front of them to get themselves opportunities. I was just a little bit too far back and I think it was mainly because of that. But overall, happy to get a fifth-place finish for this No. 9 Chevy team.”
—Chase Elliott, fifth–place finisher
John Hunter Nemechek celebrated his best qualifying effort in the Cup Series and praised the Legacy Motor Club’s hard work, contributing to a solid sixth-place finish.
“Both cars had speed this weekend right off the truck and qualified really well. It was my best qualifying effort in the Cup series and we raced well also. I’m proud of everything they’ve put in at Legacy Motor Club, all the men and women with all the effort they’ve been putting in.”
“Looking forward to continuing to come to the racetrack when you have the speed. Just a testament to this 42 team. Travis Mack (crew chief), and I have been working really hard and we’ve been communicating well. Sydney, our primary engineer, Dex, Carl, Josh, and everyone who works on this thing. I’m just proud of the effort.”
—John Hunter Nemechek, sixth-place finisher
Kyle Larson secured seventh place and described the day as challenging, especially with passing difficulties. The Hendrick Motorsports team’s performance demonstrated resilience despite a rough patch in recent weeks.
“It was an up-and-down day. It was really hard to pass. It was a good fight for the No. 5 Chevy team to get a seventh-place finish, and for three Hendrick Motorsports cars to get top-10 results. I just hope we don’t carry what we had the last few weeks into the rest of the season.”
“Prior to the last few weeks, we’ve been really fast. It’s just been a rough stretch, but we’ll continue to go to work.”
—Kyle Larson, seventh-place finisher
Brad Keselowski, finishing ninth, described a strong car hampered early by a pit road penalty that altered their race strategy and chances to fight for the lead in the closing stages.
“Yeah, we had a great car today. We got the lead there in the first stage and felt like we were in control; and lost control of the race early with the pit road penalty. And I thought we recovered really, really well from that. Got up to third or fourth there.”
“I’m just a big believer you can’t win by doing the same thing everybody else does. You got to be better than them and you can’t be better if you’re the same. So, we were in a little bit of a hole there. We’re trying to dig out of it and we were well positioned. I don’t know what that last yellow was for, but I wanted to strangle whoever it was, but it is what it is.”
Keselowski admitted fault for the early pit road penalty, which was related to miscommunication during the pit stops and affected their race outcome.
“(On the penalty for pitting too soon) I just thought we made a really bad call. And I was right, but not for the reason I thought I was. And what was really confusing is the next lap when everybody else pitted, I was like, ‘Why would they do that?’”
—Brad Keselowski, ninth-place finisher
Midfield Drivers Explain Their Performances and Challenges
Austin Cindric claimed a solid tenth place with a strategy-focused approach after a few tough months, highlighting effective teamwork and execution on key restarts.
“Yeah, really solid effort and honestly, a much needed blue-collar day. We’ve had a lot of speed over the last couple months. We just haven’t been able to put it all together and have a solid afternoon.”
“I’m proud of the effort by everybody. (Crew chief) Brian [Wilson] did a great job on strategy. I felt like I was able to capitalize on some important restarts and make some passes and get in position there. I think we’re maybe even a little better than that. But all in all, I can’t be too upset with the day. Good points day.”
—Austin Cindric, tenth-place finisher
Erik Jones, finishing 13th, praised the speed of the No. 43 Toyota but acknowledged that strategy and untimely cautions affected his potential high finish.
“We had a really good No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE today, but it’s just frustrating how sometimes strategies can go your way and other times it doesn’t. Pocono is a track where strategy plays a big part in your finish more times than not.”
“The team did a good job of bringing a car with a ton of speed, but that last caution caught us at a bad time in the middle of green flag pit stops. I think we were a top-five car, but we needed things to work out better. We’ll learn from it and move on to Atlanta.”
—Erik Jones, 13th-place finisher
Daniel Suarez described the day for his No. 99 Chevrolet team as average, with early promise but struggles with balance and car tightness in the final stage.
“It was an average day for the No. 99 Chevrolet team. We started the race OK on the short run, but then in the final stage, we just lost the balance of the car a little bit. We were just way too tight and never got it back.”
—Daniel Suarez, 15th-place finisher
Joey Logano, ending in 16th place, expressed frustration at difficulties gaining ground due to tight handling in traffic despite a strong car in clean air and strategic efforts to manage those challenges.
“Our Ford Mustang was pretty strong in clean air when we were able to get it but just struggled to gain ground with how tight we’d get in traffic all day. We did what we could strategy-wise to get us in that clean air, but it just didn’t fall our way over the course of some of those longer runs.”
—Joey Logano, 16th-place finisher
Late-Race Troubles Impact Several Drivers
Kyle Busch faced multiple setbacks, including a pit road speeding penalty and heavy damage after spinning late in the race, which affected his Chevrolet’s handling and position.
“Our Chevrolet team worked hard today at Pocono Raceway to overcome obstacles. A speeding penalty on pit road put us behind at the end of Stage 1, then we ended up with heavy damage to our Chevy after spinning towards the end of Stage 2.”
“We just lost the air racing in traffic. Crew chief Randall Burnett and the rest of the RCR team worked hard to keep us on the lead lap. Our Chevy was never the same after the spin, and handling was really bad in traffic. We’ll regroup and head to Atlanta Motor Speedway.”
—Kyle Busch, 20th-place finisher
Austin Dillon battled a tight-handling Chevrolet exacerbated by weather-related changes in track conditions. Despite strategic calls and strong late-race performance, he was unable to gain significant ground in the final stages.
“Our No. 3 Chevrolet team fought hard all race long at Pocono Raceway. We had a long delay from rain and that changed the way the track reacted. It was hot and slick. We fought a tight balanced Chevrolet.”
“Crew Chief Richard Boswell made great strategy calls, and the car handled better towards the end. I tried to make a move to the top on a late restart, but the track was rubbered up more than I was expecting and it cost us a lot of spots. By the end of the race, our Chevy went back to the tight side, and we couldn’t recover. We will regroup and head to Atlanta Motor Speedway next week.”
—Austin Dillon, 24th-place finisher
Brakes Failures Bring Frustration and Safety Concerns
Michael McDowell’s race ended prematurely due to brake issues, which he had been warning about for much of the competition. He lamented the impact this had on his chances but looked ahead to upcoming races where his team hopes to perform better.
“I had warning half of the race that the brakes weren’t going to make it. It’s unfortunate. It wasn’t what we needed for this No. 71 Chevrolet team. We came off a good weekend (in Mexico City), and this is the exact opposite of what we needed.”
“The season is grueling sometimes. I was just trying to nurse it there at the end on that last restart, knowing I was starting to lose my pedal a little bit. In the car, there’s not a lot you can do other than dial bias to the rear and hope and pray for the best.”
“What put us behind this weekend was yesterday in qualifying. I just made a mistake there, and that kind of sets you up for the whole race starting 28th. We did some strategy there and we were going to give ourselves a fighting chance. But like I said, I knew we had an issue with the brakes and I was trying to get to a place where hopefully they would last, but they didn’t.”
“I’ve been telling you guys all year that I’m not planning on pointing my way in. I’m planning on winning a race because that’s the way I see us getting into the playoffs. You’re going to have weekends like this where you have issues, you get taken out or you have something happen. You can’t plan on pointing your way in, especially this early on because there’s still a lot of opportunities for guys below the cutline to win, as we saw last weekend. When you have places like Atlanta, Chicago, Sonoma, Daytona, you’ve got a lot of tracks that it could open it up for a new winner, like we saw with Harrison Burton last year. That last few years, there’s been a few surprise winners.”
—Michael McDowell, 35th-place finisher
Bubba Wallace was also sidelined by brake failure, expressing frustration over the luck of his team but sharing a perspective rooted in resilience inspired by Michael Jordan.
“I was going to battle the 17 (Chris Buescher) and the 2 (Austin Cindric) and by the time I was ready to touch the pedal it just went to the floor and the brakes exploded. I hate it, we’ve had two or three good races in-a-row and there goes the bad luck again.”
“But hey, (Michael Jordan) told me there’s no such thing as bad luck. We create our own luck. I apologize to the racing gods. This weekend sucked aside from practice, but that pays nothing. I hate it for my guys. We knew it was going to be a grind and I was mentally prepared for that all day. Especially as frustrating as it gets not being able to pass here in Pocono, we were going to just take our lumps and march our way through and set ourselves up for the end of the race, but the brakes just didn’t want to hang on that long.”
—Bubba Wallace, 36th-place finisher
Riley Herbst recounted a frightening moment when a brake rotor exploded as he approached turn one, causing him to lose control despite attempts to adjust the car earlier in the race.
“I’ve grown up watching these races at Pocono and seeing what happened to me happen to lot of other guys. It was a scary feeling for sure. I was just starting to get tight, just a bad adjustment on my part. Getting into (turn) one, the brakes just went to the floor. A brake rotor exploded and I was along for the ride with our Camry XSE.”
—Riley Herbst, 37th-place finisher
Significance of Briscoe’s Win and Playoff Implications
Chase Briscoe’s victory at Pocono is a landmark achievement that reflects the culmination of persistent effort by himself and the Joe Gibbs Racing team. Given the intensity of the playoffs, each win carries immense importance not only for points but also for momentum and confidence. Briscoe’s breakthrough could signal a change in the competitive landscape as other drivers and teams recalibrate their strategies.
With challenging tracks like Atlanta, Chicago, and Sonoma upcoming, the race outcomes and strategic decisions in the coming weeks will be decisive. The performance of drivers fighting for playoff spots underscores how every moment on the track can make or break a season. Briscoe’s success underlines the possibility for new contenders to emerge while veterans continue their battles for supremacy.