Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Las Vegas, NV) — Chase Briscoe made sure this opportunity didn’t slip away.
Just a week after a tough loss at Kansas, Briscoe fended off late challenges from Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick on Sunday at Las Vegas, securing his first win in The Chase. Driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe dominated by winning all stages and leading 175 laps, finishing ahead of Larson and Reddick.
“I’m just glad I was able to hold on,” Briscoe shared in a post-race USA Sports interview. “Last week was mentally tough after nearly losing it.”
Here are the main points:
Chase Briscoe Finally Triumphs
Briscoe earned the seventh victory of his career and the second this season. His Vegas win came just seven days after a fourth-place finish at Kansas, where he briefly took the lead before Larson overtook him with seven laps left. Despite multiple drivers closing to within two-tenths of a second in the final 30 laps, Briscoe held them off, including Larson in the final moments. His crew chief James Small joked that if Briscoe had lost again, he might be “up on murder charges,” expressing how fierce their desire for the win was. Briscoe acknowledged that a second straight late-race misstep could damage team confidence and stressed the importance of showing no excuses for not winning.Kyle Larson Comes Up Short
Larson was competitive throughout but faced early setbacks, including a pit stop over 20 seconds long to fix his car’s front ride height and cross weight. Falling as far as a lap down during the race, Larson managed to rebound to 10th by stage two’s end and ultimately finished second. He extended his lead in The Chase points to 40 over Denny Hamlin with five races remaining. Larson remained optimistic, saying, “I was confident we could dig ourselves out and maybe win. We almost did… Any gain in the standings is a positive.”Denny Hamlin’s Rare Struggles
Hamlin’s day was marred by a spin with just a few laps left in stage one, damaging his front splitter and harming his chances. After leading 39 laps and recovering to fourth place, the spin derailed his momentum. Later, he lost fuel pressure under caution, causing him to lose multiple positions. He finished 16th, losing 14 points to Larson. Hamlin described the spin as “quite odd,” attributing it to debris or “marbles” on the track.23XI Racing Drivers Show Grit
Both Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick challenged in the final stage. Reddick finished third after dealing with an early race battery change and a slow pit stop late in the race, while Wallace faded to eighth. Reddick noted that although they gained five points on Larson, they still need to capitalize when their cars have speed.
4½. Looking Ahead: Charlotte
The playoff race at Charlotte no longer uses the roval (a combination of oval and road course). NASCAR and the track chose to revert to the 1.5-mile oval, marking the third of four such tracks in The Chase, with the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Drivers proving strong at Kansas and Las Vegas are expected to perform well again at Charlotte.
Fan Take: Chase Briscoe’s win is a thrilling reminder that perseverance pays off in NASCAR, especially under the intense pressure of The Chase. This race could shake up momentum and confidence, setting the stage for an exciting battle as the season heads to Charlotte and the final stretch.
Source: www.foxsports.com
