Chase Briscoe absolutely refused to let Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway slip away, holding off charges from Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick late in the race to snatch his first victory of The Chase. This win wasn’t just another notch on the belt; it was a defiant statement seven days after a gut-wrenching fourth-place finish at Kansas where he’d led, only for Kyle Larson to rip the win away with just seven laps left. Briscoe, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, swept both stages and led a whopping 175 laps, crossing the finish line ahead of Larson and Reddick. “I’m just glad I was able to hold on,” Briscoe told USA Sports after the checkered flag, admitting, “Last week was not a very fun mental place to be after kind of throwing one away.” You could feel that urgency in every turn.
Briscoe’s Redemption Run and the Fiery Crew Chief Factor
Talk about a comeback story! This win marks Briscoe’s seventh career victory and his second this year, but it felt like so much more. Over the final 30 laps, drivers were breathing down his neck, getting within two-tenths of a second multiple times, especially Larson in the dying moments. Every single time, Briscoe slammed the door shut. And honestly, who could blame him for being so locked in? His crew chief, the famously fiery and blunt James Small, had practically threatened him with “murder charges” if he blew this one after Kansas. Small openly said, “I was a little worried I was going to have to throw him off this media center building if he gave this one away after last week.” Briscoe even joked in his post-race news conference that he “would have been black-and-blue getting on the plane.”
It’s clear the pressure was on, but it wasn’t just about avoiding Small’s wrath. Briscoe has consistently said that at Joe Gibbs Racing, there are no excuses for not winning. “You don’t want your guys to lose confidence in you,” he explained. He was still thinking about Kansas, saying, “Last week, I drove to the lead. And you lose the race with six to go, and I don’t really feel like I made a mistake, per se. … I could have done a better job defending Larson.” The mental game was massive for him. “You just don’t want it to be two weeks in a row where you lose a race in the last five to 10 laps. Your confidence from your team and your guys can go away really quickly. That was more in the back of my mind than anything.” This win was pure mental grit, proving he could close it out when it mattered most.
Larson’s Wild Comeback and Hamlin’s Misfortune
While Briscoe earned his redemption, Kyle Larson proved why he’s the defending Cup champion, even in a second-place finish. This one wasn’t meant to be for Larson, but the fact he was even close at the end was nothing short of incredible. Early in the race, his team had a pit stop that dragged on for more than 20 seconds just to fix the front ride height and the cross weight in the car. That lost him so many spots he was actually a lap down at one point! But the man is a machine; he rallied all the way to 10th by the end of the second stage. From there, it was absolutely game on, and he clawed his way to second. Even without the win, Larson still managed to increase his points lead to a commanding 40 over Denny Hamlin with just five races left in the season. “I was confident that we could dig ourselves out of it and potentially get a win out of the day,” Larson told reporters. “And we almost did. … Always to gain in the standings is a good thing.”
Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin had a day he’d rather forget. With just a few laps left in the opening stage, Hamlin spun, causing damage to his front spl. That’s just not what you expect from a driver of his caliber, especially in The Chase.
With only five races left, that 40-point lead Larson built is massive, but as Vegas showed, anything can happen. Briscoe’s win sends a clear message to the field: he’s here to fight. Every single race from here on out is going to be a nail-biter as these drivers battle for every last point. You gotta love the intensity!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
Leave a Reply