Chase Briscoe’s road to the top of the mountain has looked more like an off-road trail — rough, unpredictable, and occasionally straight up a cliff. He’s been through personal tragedy, career heartbreak, and the gut punch of seeing his childhood hero’s team shut its doors. But Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, the Indiana kid who never stopped swinging finally clawed his way back to the summit — and did it in the most Talladega way possible: messy, chaotic, and magnificent.
Briscoe overcame a pit road speeding penalty, a slow stop later on, and an overtime finish that could have gone wrong six different ways. Instead, he came out ahead — stealing the win on the final lap with a shove from Ty Gibbs that launched him past Bubba Wallace and into the Championship 4. The move wasn’t polished. It wasn’t pretty. But it was pure Talladega — where survival, timing, and divine luck decide everything.
“I honestly would not have won that race without Ty,” Briscoe said. “An amazing team effort. I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race. I haven’t done it at any level.”
Todd Gilliland finished a close second — a result equal parts pride and pain. “I’m definitely excited,” he said. “But maybe wishing I could’ve done something differently. I mean, that’s just the dream, right? To be in contention to win a race like this.”
Ty Gibbs hung on for third, Wallace wound up fourth, and Cole Custer rounded out the top five.
Briscoe started the day second behind Michael McDowell, and within a single lap the field resembled a 200-mph mosh pit — three lanes, three leaders, and three different drivers insisting they’d led that first lap. Josh Berry, Kyle Busch, and Bubba Wallace each took a turn before Wallace settled in by Lap 5. Berry, never content to follow, took it back on Lap 8, and for about three laps the pack calmed into two lines of order. That lasted all of two heartbeats before the three-lane madness returned on Lap 11.
Berry and his Penske ally Joey Logano led the low line while Shane van Gisbergen took charge in the middle. Busch took over by Lap 17, Berry by 23, and then Briscoe muscled his way forward on Lap 27 with a shove from Cody Ware that ignited the hornet’s nest behind them. Suddenly the field was three-wide again and twitchier than a caffeinated squirrel.
By Lap 34, the lead had passed between Berry, John Hunter Nemechek, and Denny Hamlin. Green-flag stops began on Lap 42 with Briscoe and Busch leading ten cars down for a fuel-only splash. Both were promptly nailed for speeding. Briscoe’s pass-through penalty dumped him a lap down and out of stage-point contention.
And then, because it’s Talladega, all hell broke loose.
On Lap 53, Erik Jones gave Noah Gragson an overly generous push that sent him straight into the outside wall. AJ Allmendinger’s Chevy erupted in flames and rolled to a smoky stop near pit road. After a tense few moments, Allmendinger climbed out, lay down to catch his breath, then stood and walked away as the crowd exhaled. Nine cars were caught in the mess, including the day’s only playoff casualty, Chase Elliott. His No. 9 looked like a yard sale special by the time it limped to the garage.
After the cleanup, Logano held the lead for a two-lap dash to end Stage 1. Ty Gibbs stole it by four-thousandths of a second — a margin so tiny you’d need NASA to confirm it — over Tyler Reddick.
The middle laps were a kaleidoscope of position swaps. William Byron left his pit too early, had to back up, and rejoined dead last. Daniel Suarez inherited the lead, Chris Buescher jumped ahead, and Berry quickly reclaimed the top spot because that’s just what he does. Busch muscled back by Lap 74. By Lap 77, the lead was changing hands faster than dollar bills at the Talladega merch tent.
Anthony Alfredo even got a moment out front, and Briscoe — remember him, the guy a lap down? — had clawed his way back into the main pack. By Lap 99, Busch and Berry were side by side again as green-flag stops loomed. Those began at Lap 105, and in the most Talladega twist possible, Shane van Gisbergen spun entering pit road, tore through the grass, and brought out a caution.
When it settled, Briscoe led the restart and held off Kyle Larson to win Stage 2 — his day suddenly going from hopeless to heroic.
The final stage began with John Hunter Nemechek out front after winning the race off pit road. Briscoe’s momentum hit pause thanks to a slow stop that dumped him back to 24th. Meanwhile, Berry, who’d led the most laps all day, pulled to the garage with overheating gear oil — the same issue plaguing Penske-aligned cars. He’d return four laps down, then retire for good.
Up front, Logano and Blaney locked together like synchronized swimmers while McDowell and Alfredo tried their luck on the outside. The field went three-wide again with 37 to go, and Todd Gilliland popped out to lead with 30 remaining. Then, in perfect Talladega timing, Cody Ware’s engine expired with 22 laps left, bringing out the caution and eliminating the need for another round of green-flag stops.
Gilliland led the pack off pit road with a quick splash of fuel. Hamlin’s crew worked under the hood to fix a stuck throttle, costing him a lap. Blaney led the restart with 17 to go, Gilliland tried to play spoiler, and Larson jumped out front with 13 remaining. Daniel Suarez filled the middle lane while Zane Smith led a charge around the top. By ten to go, it looked like the world’s fastest kaleidoscope — colors, cars, and chaos merging into one roaring blur.
Gilliland led again with nine to go thanks to a shove from Larson, but suddenly Briscoe came flying through the middle like he’d been shot from a cannon. With five laps left, Larson and Briscoe were side by side. Byron appeared for the first time all afternoon, taking the lead with four to go. Wallace followed, Buescher took over with three to go, and then the inevitable happened.
Carson Hocevar nudged Byron into Buescher, sending Buescher careening into the inside wall. The caution flew again. Another overtime finish. Because of course.
On the restart, Byron and Larson led, the two Hendrick drivers poised to finally finish something other than their own sheet metal. Both pitted for a splash of fuel, as did Logano, Blaney, McDowell, and Keselowski, setting up one last shuffle.
The white flag flew with Wallace out front, Larson tucked behind, and Briscoe lurking in third like a man waiting for divine permission. Half a lap later, Larson’s car coughed, ran dry, and Briscoe pounced. Gibbs locked onto his rear bumper and shoved the No. 19 into the lead. Wallace was left out to dry and Briscoe crossed the line .145 seconds ahead of Gilliland. Wallace came home fourth. Byron spun across the line in 25th, one spot ahead of Larson’s lifeless Chevrolet.
When the smoke cleared, Briscoe sat in disbelief. “So thankful the Lord has blessed me,” he said. “Even closing doors at times. I had such peace today — normally I’m a nervous wreck around this place. Regardless of the finish, He was going to use it somehow for His glory. Ends up in Victory Lane.”
And just like that, Chase Briscoe — the driver once buried in mid-pack purgatory — punched his ticket to Phoenix. The Indiana kid who’s lost more doors than a cheap sedan just found the biggest one of all wide open.
With two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers already locked into the Championship 4 — Hamlin and now Briscoe — two spots remain. Those will be settled next week at Martinsville, where Ryan Blaney, last year’s winner, will try to claw back after a forgettable 23rd-place run at Talladega.
For now, though, this one belongs to Briscoe. A day that started with a speeding ticket ended in salvation — and at Talladega, that’s about as fitting as it gets.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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