Chase Briscoe outlasts Denny Hamlin to win at Pocono, first with Joe Gibbs Racing

That was a nail-biter! Chase Briscoe thought he was short on fuel, but made it work and outlasted Denny Hamlin to win. This is the third win in Briscoe’s NASCAR Cup Series career. It is his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing.

When Chase Briscoe took over the 19 car from Martin Truex Jr., winning was the only thing that mattered. Joe Gibbs Racing expects all of its cars to be playoff contenders and winners. Briscoe hasn’t been able to maximize his potential in Cup yet.

A huge win. To get one over on Denny Hamlin at Pocono is a big deal. Briscoe is locked into the playoffs and might be just breaking out of his shell with JGR.

.@chasebriscoe is playoff bound! #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/PcFjXHQOYB

— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 22, 2025

Is this a sign that the Indiana Pacers are going to win the NBA Finals tonight? Chase Briscoe would like to think so.

Denny leads from the pole in Stage 1

With the first stage only being 30 laps, Denny Hamlin was in control the entire time. He went out there and laid down great laps one after another. Chris Buescher didn’t let up on the pressure throughout the opening stage, though.

From the start, it was clear that Hamlin and Buescher had the fastest cars. However, Pocono is all about the fuel mileage game, knowing when to pit, when to top off on fuel, and when to stay out. The varying strategies create a situation where the most dominant drivers don’t lead every lap.

The drivers who have had speed on these fast, intermediate tracks were all in the mix throughout the top-10. Hendrick Motorsports had terrible qualifying speed. However, all four drivers were able to move up into the top-10 throughout the race. William Byron made up huge chunks of track position in the opening stage.

With a fast Toyota Camry, Denny Hamlin stayed out and won Stage 1. Others cut the stage short to flip the track position to start Stage 2. That is where our first strategy split happened.

Four cautions in the Stage 2

The second stage was very interesting. Brad Keselowski popped up as a serious contender. He also made a big mistake by going down pit road while it was closed. Still, Jeremy Bullins and Keselowski stayed calm and bounced back from the mistake.

In the second stage, the cautions kept coming. Riley Herbst and Bubba Wallace both had incidents with hitting the wall. It turns out that 23XI Racing had an issue with their brake rotors. Herbst and Wallace suffered failures that ended their days on the track.

A multicar wreck that stemmed from a Kyle Busch spin collected Shane van Gisbergen, Christopher Bell, and Ty Dillon. The struggles continue for Busch and his No. 8 team.

Chase Briscoe got his car going the right direction. That resulted in a win in Stage 2. This set up a showdown with Briscoe and Denny Hamlin for the final stage.

Chase Briscoe gets the best of Denny Hamlin

Despite a short pit stop when he needed to wait for fuel, Chase Briscoe made it work. It looked like he was going to be short and run out with a few laps to go. Whatever kind of fuel savings he was doing behind the wheel was elite. Briscoe had plenty to spare.

Briscoe led a race-high 72 laps. He had the best car and was the best driver on the day. Saving his fuel with Hamlin beating down his back was not an easy feat. To go from Lap 130 to Lap 160 without a caution was tough to do. If there had been an overtime finish, it might have been enough to make him run out of fuel.

In his first season with JGR, Chase Briscoe is a winner. He has validated himself with one race and one win. With less pressure to get that first win now, could this open the door for more wins in the near future?