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Chase Briscoe suffers flat tire in Stage 2, saved by NASCAR caution flag

JHby: Jonathan Howard11/02/25Jondean25
Chase Briscoe NASCAR Phoenix
Screenshot credit: NASCAR via X.com

Bad news for Chase Briscoe and the No. 19 team in Stage 2 of the Phoenix NASCAR Championship race. What is a bad situation could have been a devastating situation if not for a caution flag for Shane van Gisbergen almost simultaneously.

The NASCAR Cup Series championship is not going to be easy to win for any driver. Having a flat tire and even minor damage on the right rear is going to make it so much harder for Chase Briscoe and his team.

Tires are going to be a major factor in today’s race. Briscoe had issues in practice with the left rear. Now, it’s the right rear that is failing. Rudy Fugle, crew chief for William Byron, was concerned about that before practice and the left rear issues. Maybe those fears are coming true in the race today.

The caution for Shane van Gisbergen was good for Chase Briscoe. Suffering that flat under green would have potentially been a day-ender. Right now, as it stands, their chances of winning are slim, but still there.

If the 19 car cannot be fixed or can’t get an adjustment that changes the handling and speed, then the championship is as good as gone. His teammate, Denny Hamlin, is leading the race and is the best car on the track in the early going. However, he is having a clutch issue just like he had in practice. Not ideal.

Joe Gibbs Racing is having issues right now. For Briscoe, the issues are pretty serious. For Hamlin, things are holding up for now, and he keeps taking the lead off of pit road.

Chase Briscoe gets track position on pit road

After fighting his car with the repairs that the team could make, Chase Briscoe received another break. A caution caused by AJ Allmendinger took the field down to pit road. From there, James Small was able to get the 19 car more track position with a great stop.

While it looked like the 19 car was totaled, the situation isn’t as bad as it seemed. If Briscoe can get it moving forward from this point in the field and keep moving, then the race win and championship are very much in play. There is still a lot of racing left. More than half of the race remains currently. Briscoe has overcome a lot in his career, can he do it again?

Meanwhile, there are non-playoff drivers giving the Championship 4 a run for their money. Ryan Blaney has been fantastic today at Phoenix. If there is a driver not among the final four that can win today, it is Blaney.

Chase Briscoe had a problem, but has avoided disaster. How will he respond to the adversity?