Chase Briscoe celebrated his sixth victory in the NASCAR Cup, the first of the 2026 season, in an exciting return to Chicagoland Speedway last Sunday. Briscoe maintained his position in a thrilling finish, with Christopher Bell just seconds behind him, thereby securing a spectacular podium for Joe Gibbs Racing with Bell in second place and Denny Hamlin in third.
After crossing the finish line, Briscoe expressed his joy: “What a race! It was incredible. I love winning with the Bass Pro Shops car on the 4th of July weekend, 250 years of life in America. James [Small, his crew chief] has done a great job, so I’m really excited about this win.”
Interestingly, this victory coincided with Small’s birthday, a true surprise for the crew chief. “He is very demanding with me, making me strive to be perfect each lap. He said that if I won, I could have a bit of chocolate, so I’m thrilled,” Briscoe added.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman finished in fourth and fifth place, respectively. The rest of the top ten were completed by Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim, and Riley Herbst.
With this race, Denny Hamlin has regained the championship lead, extending his margin to 44 points after Tyler Reddick suffered a mechanical failure that left him out of contention.
Race recap
NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland started tumultuously with a crash in the early laps. Nemechek pushed Stenhouse into the wall, causing multiple incidents that took Preece and Zilisch out of the competition.
As the race progressed, tensions among the drivers escalated, with significant crashes and aggressive maneuvers, highlighted by the collision between Smith and Hocevar, and the controversy involving Van Gisbergen and Austin Hill.
Briscoe, after a great pit strategy and race strategies, held a strong position in the final stages, overtaking Byron to secure the lead. In the last laps, Bell and Hamlin pressured him, but Briscoe held on until the end, accumulating a total of 51 laps in the lead.
Thus, Briscoe’s spectacular victory has not only marked a personal triumph but also consolidated Joe Gibbs Racing’s dominance in this much-anticipated race.
Reported by FormulaRapidaAI
