Regardless of a spirited cost within the closing laps from Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe took the lead after the ultimate spherical of green-flag pit stops and held on to win Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Sequence race at Chicagoland Speedway.
Briscoe spearheaded a 1-2-3 end for Joe Gibbs Racing after passing undercutting William Byron by one lap through the closing pit cycle and holding off Bell within the closing laps.
“How about that race? What an unbelievable weekend,” Briscoe advised TNT. “I really feel so American profitable within the crimson white and blue Bass Professional automobile, Fourth of July weekend, 250 years. Didn’t see this coming. Out of all of the folks to race in opposition to, I knew Christopher was going to be clear with me. Actually enjoyable race.”
The win is Briscoe’s first of 2026, his fourth with Joe Gibbs Racing and the sixth of his Cup profession. It additionally comes on the birthday of his crew chief, James Small. Sunday’s race was the primary at Chicagoland since 2019.
“James, he and I are the 2 most polar reverse folks on this planet,” Briscoe stated. “He advised me if I win as we speak I get some chocolate, so I am fairly fired up about that.”
Bell, Denny Hamlin, Byron and Alex Bowman rounded out the highest 5, with Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim and Riley Herbst finishing the highest 10. Seven Toyotas completed inside the highest 10.
Bell and Hamlin closed quickly on Briscoe within the closing laps, although. Hamlin brushed the wall within the closing laps, taking him out of profitable competition.
Notable outcomes
Different notable finishers embody Chase Elliott in eleventh, Joey Logano in twelfth, Erik Jones in fifteenth, Chris Buescher in nineteenth and Carson Hocevar in twenty second.
Radiator points and a subsequent Thirty sixth-place end from Tyler Reddick allowed Hamlin to increase his factors result in 44 factors over Reddick with seven races left within the common season.
