Chase Briscoe Holds Off Christopher Bell to Win at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Chase Briscoe won his second straight NASCAR playoff race in a photo finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway, holding off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell to vault into contention for his first Cup Series championship, according to Associated Press reporting by Steve Reed.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway Photo Finish

Briscoe crossed the finish line about a half-car length ahead of Bell, securing a 0.029-second margin of victory. The finish ranks as the second closest since Charlotte Motor Speedway opened in 1960, trailing only Jimmie Johnson’s 0.027-second win over Bobby Labonte in 2005.

I don’t know what it is about these finishes. I have to quit making it so exciting at the end.

Chase Briscoe

Playoff Standings and Driver Reactions

The back-to-back victories have sliced Briscoe’s deficit behind playoff points leader Kyle Larson down to 65 points, placing him fourth in the standings with four races remaining. Larson finished sixth at Charlotte and extended his playoff lead by nine points. Joe Gibbs Racing owner Joe Gibbs noted that watching his drivers race each other at the front creates intense pressure. That’s always when I’m the most nervous, when a couple of our guys are running up front, Gibbs said, adding that he knows how badly everyone wants to win.

Denny Hamlin finished fifth in the race and sits 49 points behind Larson in the Chase standings, while Bell sits 51 points back. Hamlin expressed frustration over his ongoing playoff struggles after starting the day by being sent to the rear of the field for a loose tire penalty on pit road.

We got to execute better, be a little faster — all of the above. We’re giving it all we got right now.

Denny Hamlin

Early Race Incidents and Oval Transition

Several contenders hit trouble during the opening stage of the race. Ty Gibbs broke a toe link on his No. 54 Toyota, causing him to hit the outside wall and collect Joey Logano from behind. Near the end of the first stage, Alex Bowman’s car lost traction and veered into Bubba Wallace and William Byron. Wallace was taken to the infield medical center in an ambulance.

Sunday’s event marked the return of the fall race to Charlotte’s traditional 1.5-mile oval course after an eight-year run on the road course configuration known as the roval. Drivers welcomed the shift back to the oval layout as NASCAR emphasizes intermediate tracks.

Upcoming Cup Series Race at Phoenix Raceway

The Cup Series travels next to Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, for the next event on the schedule as the playoff schedule enters its final stretch.