Chase Briscoe's Big Win at Pocono Raceway

Chase Briscoe's journey in NASCAR took a big turn when he joined Joe Gibbs Racing. The expectations were high, and the pressure was on. Briscoe knew what was at stake. "You don't make the playoffs, you don't race in this car anymore, " he was told. The standards at JGR are sky-high, and the Toyotas are top-notch. Briscoe's crew chief, James Small, noted the change. "From where he came from, there wasn't much accountability, " Small said. "That's probably been a big wake-up call for him. " Briscoe's hard work paid off on Sunday at Pocono Raceway. He stretched his fuel to the limit and held off Denny Hamlin for his third career Cup victory and his first with JGR. This win secured his spot in the playoffs. It was a tough race, with Hamlin pushing hard to catch up. "It was just so hard to have a guy chasing you, especially the guy that's the greatest of all time here, " Briscoe said. Hamlin, with seven wins at Pocono, came close but fell short by 0. 682 seconds. Briscoe's win was not just personal; it was a team effort. He joined Hamlin and Bell in the playoff field, making Gibbs proud. "It's definitely more work but it's because they're at such a high level, " Briscoe said. The pressure is on, but Briscoe is ready. He has been on a hot streak, with four top-10 finishes in his last six races. His win at Pocono was his third career Cup victory and his first since Darlington in 2024. The race was delayed by rain, but Briscoe led 72 laps and won the second stage. He even joked about not making it to the NBA Finals, but he was happy with his ride to victory lane. The race was clean, with no major incidents. Carson Hocevar made a clean pass, and feuding drivers raced in peace. There was a minor scare on pit road, but no one was seriously hurt. Brake issues spoiled the races of Bubba Wallace, Michael McDowell, and Riley Herbst, but the focus was on Briscoe's big win.