A thrilling overtime restart saw Chase Briscoe win Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway and secure his first-ever berth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Championship 4.
The 29-year old Indiana-native held off a late charge from Todd Gilliland to take the checkered flag with a razor-thin margin of 0.145 seconds, as his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs took third.
Briscoe’s win was monumental on several fronts. It marked his fifth career Cup Series victory and his first-ever win on a superspeedway, showcasing his adaptability across different track styles.
More importantly, the triumph secured Briscoe’s first entry into the NASCAR Championship 4, joining his JGR stalwart Denny Hamlin as the only drivers to lock in their spot for the title showdown at Phoenix Raceway.
“Ty Gibbs, just an incredible teammate there,” said an emotional Briscoe who had entered the Round of 8 without a previous title race appearance. “I honestly would not have won that race without Ty.
“It was an amazing team effort. I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race. I’ve never done it at any level. It’s not hit me; we’re going to Phoenix.”
The final 10 laps saw a frenetic battle for supremacy at the front, which abruptly changed when Chris Buescher crashed out of the lead with just two laps remaining.
This incident forced an overtime restart, setting the stage for a race-defining showdown between Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson who lined up first and second, both contending for a vital Championship 4 spot.
However, unexpected drama unraveled on the last lap when Larson ran out of fuel while Byron spun coming out of the tri-oval, sending both out of race contention.
This sudden development opened the door for Chase Briscoe win, receiving a powerful draft from Ty Gibbs and with perfect timing the No. 19 JGR Toyota dove to the inside of Bubba Wallace entering Turn 3 to take the lead.
Full Race Results – NASCAR Cup YellaWood 500 at Talladega
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Chase Elliott tagged in massive Talladega crash
As Stage 1 drew to a close, disaster struck after Erik Jones made contact with Noah Gragson’s car as he attempted a move through Turns 3 and 4.
Gragson spun sharply into the outside wall and tagged race leader AJ Allmendinger, triggering a multi-car wreck that collected seven key drivers including Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Austin Dillon, Austin Cindric, and Round of 8 playoff driver Chase Elliott.
Elliott suffered significant damage and was forced out early, finishing 40th, which puts him in a must-win situation for next weekend’s elimination race at Martinsville.
“I saw somebody get turned sideways just like normal, and you hope you can get slowed down in time but I got turned sideways there somehow, someway, and hit some more stuff after that,” Elliott said.
“We just did not execute that well as a group and put ourselves in the back of the pack, unfortunately, and got caught up in the mess.
“Stage points are so crucial right now and I wasn’t super surprised everybody was starting to get super aggressive and, unfortunately, I didn’t make it through.
“Unless we won today, we were already likely in a very similar situation next week. I hate it. I don’t know what you do in those situations. We weren’t back there doing anything wild or crazy; I just got turned sideways and slid up into the wreck.
“Thinking about it, I wish I could have done something different, but I don’t really know what I would have done. Looking forward to Martinsville. Got one more shot at it.”
Besides Elliott’s Talladega crash, Hendrick Motorsports endured a tough weekend as Byron and Larson finished in 25th and 26th position following the final lap melee, leaving their Championship 4 hopes hanging by a thread.
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