Chase Briscoe holds off Denny Hamlin to win at Pocono Raceway on fuel mileage
With sublime fuel conservation, Chase Briscoe held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to win at Pocono Raceway and lock into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Briscoe made his final pit stop on Lap 119 of 160 and stretched the fuel tank of his No. 19 Toyota to a 0.682-second victory despite concern by crew chief James Small that the fuel fill was too short.
It's the third career victory in NASCAR's premier series for Briscoe but his first since joining JGR this season.
'To finally deliver a win is just an awesome feeling,' Briscoe told Marty Snider on Prime.
Hamlin, who pitted a lap later and stopped longer to have more fuel, finished second on the 2.5-mile track in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, followed by Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott.
Joe Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski and Austin Cindric rounded out the top 10 as the 400-mile race finished on a 30-lap run under green.
It was a rough day for 23XI Racing, which occupied the last two places in the finishing order because of brake problems for Bubba Wallace (36th) and Riley Herbst (37th). Both drivers hit the wall after suffering tire problems related to the brakes.
Wallace was able to drive his No. 23 Toyota to the garage and then made a brisk walk to the care center after exiting. His playoff hopes took a major hit after he entered Pocono just above the cutline with 10 races remaining in the regular season.
Teammate Tyler Reddick also encountered mechanical problems before the end of Stage 2, falling three laps down and outside the top 30 for repairs.
Stage 1 winner: Hamlin
Stage 2 winner: Briscoe
Next up: Saturday, June 28, 7 p.m. ET at Atlanta Motor Speedway on TNT.
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