Chase Briscoe achieved his best road course finish in the NASCAR Cup Series by claiming second place at Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 held at Sonoma Raceway. The race was dominated by Shane van Gisbergen, who led 97 of the 110 laps, leaving Briscoe as the closest competitor despite several late-race caution restarts.
Van Gisbergen’s control over the event was clear, with the No. 88 Chevrolet only relinquishing the lead momentarily during pit stops in the early and middle stages. His lead was so substantial that he still secured 19 stage points despite others pitting strategically to flip the stage order. Meanwhile, Briscoe’s No. 19 car fought hard during two late restarts, but he was unable to overtake van Gisbergen, settling for a solid second place.
Briscoe Reflects on Van Gisbergen’s Road Course Mastery
Briscoe openly praised van Gisbergen’s exceptional skill on road courses during a post-race interview, emphasizing the New Zealander’s dominance throughout the weekend.
“I never played basketball against Michael Jordan in his prime, but I feel like that’s probably what it was like,”
Briscoe told TNT Sports, highlighting the challenge of competing against van Gisbergen.
That guy is unbelievable on road courses. He’s just so good. He’s really raised the bar on this entire series.
He added further insight into his attempts at passing:
“I thought there was one restart I was maybe going to get clear of him, but truthfully even if I cleared him, he was probably going to pass me back by the end of the lap. We were a second-place car all day and ended up second with it.”
Strategic Moves and Performance Through the Stages
Throughout the weekend, Briscoe maintained consistent pace, finishing as the runner-up during each stage. Starting from the front row, the No. 19 team, guided by crew chief James Small, took advantage of strategy and information from past Sonoma winners, particularly Martin Truex Jr., who had claimed three victories at the track in recent years.
Briscoe’s team applied lessons learned from Truex’s success to optimize their race approach around Sonoma’s challenging 1.99-mile road course. The crew’s strategic call to keep Briscoe out during a late caution allowed him to run strong speed from Lap 93 onward, which ultimately helped him fend off other contenders such as Chase Elliott and Michael McDowell, who had pitted during that period.
Briscoe’s Satisfaction Despite Narrow Defeat and Track Challenges
Despite the inability to close in on van Gisbergen’s lead, Briscoe expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, noting that Sonoma Raceway has historically been one of his more difficult tracks.
“I honestly don’t know what more I need,”
Briscoe said.
I feel like my car is extremely good, and I feel like every time I would run down Shane he would just pick up the pace himself and start driving back away. It was frustrating at times, but I was honestly happy with the effort. This is by far my worst racetrack. Kind of surprised myself, truthfully.
Season Milestones and Rising Contender Status
This second-place finish marked Briscoe’s seventh top-five result in the first 20 races of the 2024 Cup season, setting a new personal best over his previous tally of six top-five finishes in 2022. Additionally, he is just one top-10 finish shy of matching his career best for a single season.
With the No. 19 team consistently finding speed, Briscoe feels more confident than ever in his ability to contend regularly for victories during his fifth year in the Cup Series.
“Just so honored and thankful that I get to drive this 19 car with Bass Pro Shops on the hood,”
Briscoe reflected.
I cannot thank Johnny Morris, J.P. Morris, the entire Toyota family, Bass Pro Shops family, and obviously Joe Gibbs Racing for giving me this opportunity because I am certainly having the time of my life right now. It’s fun running week in and week out in the Cup Series and feeling like you have a shot to go win.
Looking Ahead to Dover
After Sonoma, the series heads to Dover Motor Speedway, where Briscoe’s best previous finish is 13th place. The momentum gained at Sonoma may boost his confidence and performance at the track in Delaware, as he seeks to build on this career-best road course result and continue his string of strong performances in 2024.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Where will Chase Briscoe be in 2025?
A. In 2025, Chase Briscoe will become part of Joe Gibbs Racing, a team with past championship wins. He will drive the No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE, filling the spot left by Martin Truex, Jr., who is retiring.