Briscoe finally wins with Joe Gibbs Racing

Chase Briscoe won on Sunday for the first time with Joe Gibbs Racing by defeating his teammate Denny Hamlin in The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota led 72 of the 160 laps and secured a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

The race was decided in the final 34 laps, with Briscoe managing fuel while having Hamlin breathing down his neck. The seven-time Pocono winner couldn't catch the Indiana native, who drove conservatively without running dry.

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"I wasn't pushing hard, I wasn't on the limit, but it was very difficult having a guy chasing you, especially the best of all time here, while trying to save fuel," said Briscoe after winning.

Small went all-in on a risky pit stop

James Small knew they had to go for it. A piece of metal on the front stretch gave them the opportunity to make the pit stop they needed, even though they were about three to four laps short of fuel to comfortably make it.

"When we came out on fresh tires, we were nine laps short. It was going to be a mountain to climb," confessed Small. "Luckily that caution saved us and we could manage our fuel to the end."

Small hadn't won since New Hampshire 2023 and didn't hesitate to call this his best victory in nine wins as a crew chief. "It's my best victory, 100%. It's my proudest moment," he declared.

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Hamlin left wanting more at his home track

Denny Hamlin started from the pole, won the first stage and led 32 laps, but once again had to settle for second place at Pocono. This makes 10 times he's finished first or second at his favorite track.

"It was going to be tough. The team did a great job and we were next in line with our plan, it just didn't work out," commented Hamlin. The driver of the No. 11 was returning after missing Mexico for the birth of his son.

Ryan Blaney finished third after starting last and dealing with a broken air conditioning system from lap 15. The No. 12 driver had to endure the heat for over 100 laps.

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Joe Gibbs held nothing back when talking about what Chase Briscoe had to go through to get here. "If you look at Chase's history, he paid a huge price to get here. The years he spent sleeping on people's couches shows how hard it is to climb up to Cup," said the team owner.

The victory puts Briscoe as the 11th driver qualified for the 16-driver playoffs. It's the sixth different winner in the last eight weeks, keeping the season wide open.

With nine races remaining to close the regular season, the next challenge will be the Saturday Night's Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Joey Logano of Team Penske will defend his race title, while Christopher Bell won at Atlanta in February.

Results - NASCAR Cup Series

The Great American Getaway 400 - Pocono Raceway