Chase Briscoe ripped off back-to-back wins, and suddenly the NASCAR title picture is looking a whole lot spicier. This dude just chopped the points gap between himself and the leader, Kyle Larson, from a massive 123 points down to a much more manageable 65. That’s after victories at Las Vegas and Charlotte, bro! We’ve only got four races left this season, and Briscoe is on fire, but he’s gotta snag another two wins in those final four to really have a shot at the championship. Could a driver this hot actually pull it off? The pressure is real, folks.
Can Briscoe Keep This Scorching Pace Against the Odds?
Briscoe is undeniably on a wild hot streak. Cutting 58 points off Larson’s lead in just two weeks is insane. But let’s be real, needing two more wins with only Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville, and Homestead left on the schedule? That’s a tall order, even for someone who just won back-to-back. Every race now is a must-win situation for Briscoe. He’s showing championship-level drive, but the margin for error is non-existent.
The Rest of the Field Is Just Trying to Hang On
While Briscoe is making a furious charge, most of the other contenders are just trying to tread water, or worse, sinking.
The “On The Verge” guys are feeling the pain:
- Chris Buescher, in the No. 17 Ford, sits 216 points back. He finally snagged a top-10 with a 10th-place finish, but he still lost another 20 points to Larson. Rough.
- William Byron, in the No. 24 Chevrolet, is 208 points behind. He got tangled up in that Alex Bowman wreck and saw his deficit to Larson grow by 48 points. Ouch.
- Chase Elliott, in the No. 9 Chevrolet, is 185 points back. A 12th-place finish at Charlotte just continued what’s been a “meh” Chase for him, losing 22 points to Larson.
- Carson Hocevar, in the No. 77 Chevrolet, is 180 points adrift. He was 14th at Charlotte, losing 22 points to Larson, and needs to find his way back into the top 10.
- Ryan Preece, in the No. 60 Ford, is a whopping 227 points behind after a 15th-place finish at Charlotte, dropping another 27 points.
- Daniel Suárez, in the No. 7 Chevrolet, is 215 points back. He finished 13th, lost 20 points to Larson, and honestly, a top-10 season looks like the realistic goal for him at this point.
Then you’ve got drivers whose championship hopes are pretty much toast:
- Gibbs hit the wall early, lost seven laps for repairs, and a 34th-place finish meant losing 46 points to Larson. Any tiny title hopes are now gone. He does have two top fives in seven starts at Phoenix, including a fourth back in March.
- Wallace was an innocent bystander in that Alex Bowman crash, finishing 37th and definitively knocking him out of contention after losing 48 points to Larson. He’s never cracked the top five at Phoenix, with a career-best sixth there in March.
- Cindric showed some fight, finishing fourth and sixth in the stages, but faded to 17th at Charlotte, losing 17 points to Larson. He’s got zero career top 10s at Phoenix, so he’s looking for a solid day there, especially after starting third in March and crashing to 34th.
- Reddick finished eighth, making it back-to-back top 10s, but those aren’t gonna win a title. He lost another eight points to Larson, and Phoenix isn’t his best track, despite having two top fives in nine Next Gen races there. He was eighth in both qualifying and the race in March.
- Logano finished ninth at Charlotte, but the intermediate tracks have been rough since his Bristol win, with finishes of 20th, 10th, and ninth. He dropped another 21 points to Larson. However, this guy absolutely loves Phoenix. He won titles there in 2022 and 2024, and he’s led 261 laps in the last three Phoenix races. He was on the pole in March before a crash relegated him to 31st.
- Blaney had a solid third-place finish at Charlotte. That’s all we know right now, but a strong run is always good.
With only four races left, the next stop is Phoenix. This is where drivers like Logano could make some noise, but for Briscoe, it’s about keeping that winning streak alive. Can he pull another rabbit out of the hat? The whole racing world is watching!
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