Chase Briscoe discussed his intense final lap battle at Talladega on the latest episode of Dale Jr. Download. He revealed that his move into the lead was a strategic decision aimed more at blocking William Byron’s chances than outright winning the race.
Briscoe started the Yellawood 500 on the front row but dropped back early due to a speeding penalty on pit road. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver fought back impressively, claiming Stage 2 and staying in contention for the win late into the race.
On the final lap, Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace were leading the charge. When Larson, the Hendrick Motorsports driver, ran out of fuel and lost pace, Briscoe—who was running in Wallace’s draft—saw an opportunity and moved into the front row. His JGR teammate Ty Gibbs slotted in behind him, with Byron trailing the No. 54 car.
As the race neared its conclusion, Byron spun on the final turn just before crossing the finish line. This allowed Briscoe to seize the checkered flag, aided by a winning push from Gibbs.
Reflecting on that moment, Briscoe explained, “It really honestly wasn’t even to win the race at that time. It was more just to hedge my bet of now I’m at least going to be leading the bottom lane and, you know, William will not be leading the bottom lane. It’s going to be at least a Toyota car, you know, or myself or Bubba that more than likely is going to win the race.”
He added, “But yeah, my full intention truthfully when I made the move into three was kind of just to hedge my bet against William leading the bottom lane because I did not want him to win the race.”
[51:27 onwards]
With this victory, Chase Briscoe is now locked into the season finale, joining his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin.
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### Chase Briscoe Shares JGR’s Plan for Martinsville
On the same episode of Dale Jr. Download, Briscoe outlined JGR’s strategy to help Christopher Bell at Martinsville Speedway. Bell, who drives the No. 20 car, currently sits third in the playoff standings, holding a narrow one-point lead over Kyle Larson.
With other drivers like William Byron and Joey Logano fighting for the final transfer spots, Briscoe emphasized the team’s focus on winning again to keep Bell’s title hopes alive.
“Truthfully, even as a company, you know, if me or Denny can go win the race, it essentially locks Bell in no matter what. So, yeah, our focus is trying to go there and win,” Briscoe said.
[54:05 onwards]
The JGR trio is well prepared for the upcoming short track racing at Martinsville. Briscoe earned a top-10 finish in his last outing at the track, while Denny Hamlin took the victory. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell secured the pole position and finished second to Hamlin in that race.
With such strong performances, the JGR team aims to carry this momentum into Martinsville as they pursue a championship run.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/nascar/news-chase-briscoe-reveals-full-intention-hms-nascar-championship-rival-talladega
