Chase Briscoe Puts On Fuel Saving Masterclass, Scores 1st Win of 2025 at Pocono

Chase Briscoe scored one of his most notable race victories in fuel-saving fashion. (Photo Credit: Holden Barnes | The Podium Finish)

LONG POND, Pa. — An absolute clinic was put on by Chase Briscoe when it came to saving fuel to the very last drop in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway, claiming an emotional victory for both Briscoe and crew chief James Small at Joe Gibbs Racing.

The win not only propels Briscoe and Small to their first win as a driver, crew chief duo, but also a ticket to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Fuel mileage proved to be a nail-biter for the final 30 laps of the race, as Briscoe had to hold off the winningest active driver at Pocono Raceway and fellow JGR teammate of Denny Hamlin.

After rolling off the hauler by qualifying sixth in Saturday afternoon’s qualification session, Briscoe scored valuable stage points in both, claiming fourth-place points in Stage 1, along with picking up his first stage win in Stage 2 of 2025.

The homegrown driver out of Mitchell, Indiana’s day shifted from a standard top-10 performance to a strategic masterpiece when crew chief James Small made the decision to bring him to pit road with 41 laps remaining, just a lap before his teammate Hamlin. However, in a surprising turn of events, Briscoe’s pit stop did not fully refuel the car due to a miscommunication between the crew and the driver. This set the stage for a tense finish as Briscoe had to navigate the last laps in extreme fuel-saving mode.

As the final stage progressed, Briscoe tucked back into clean air and seemingly coasted his way around Pocono’s 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle” while Hamlin, already a seven-time winner at the track, reeled him in slowly but surely.

But just as Hamlin began the climb, while saving fuel, Briscoe kept Hamlin at bay, eventually pulling away from the No. 11 Progressive Insurance Toyota Camry as the laps ticked down, as well as defending Pocono Raceway winner Ryan Blaney, wanting a piece of the action.

Briscoe crossed the finish line with fumes in the tank with a narrow margin of 0.682 seconds to spare, as the sell-out crowd erupted, as the underdog effort paid off spectacularly.

Chase Briscoe navigated the 2.5-mile oval with precision, speed, and perfect strategy. (Photo Credit: Holden Barnes | The Podium Finish)

“It was just so hard to have a guy chasing you, especially the guy that’s the greatest of all time here,” Briscoe said following the victory. “Thank you to all you race fans. It’s sold out every single time we come here. Unbelievable racing in front of a sold-out crowd. Amazing day for our race team. It’s the first race we’ve kind of executed truthfully all year long.”

For Briscoe, this win was more than just a trophy; it was validation. After three seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing that saw flashes of promise but an inconsistent overall trajectory, many questioned whether he was ready to carry the weight of Martin Truex Jr’s seat at one of NASCAR’s most storied organizations.

The victory also marked the first victory for crew chief Smalls in almost two years, since he claimed his most recent victory atop the pit box with the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion of Truex Jr. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

“That one might’ve been more stressful than fun, but I’ll take it.”

Denny Hamlin, a seven-time winner at Pocono Raceway, was undoubtedly the favorite heading into the weekend, but fell on the wings of Briscoe’s excellence in fuel saving.

“It was just so hard to pass,” Hamlin stated about the racing package on Sunday evening. “When five cars pitted and then the caution came and the 19 and a bunch of guys jumped in front of us, I knew it would be really hard to give that track position back. We did all we could; we were just next in line.”

Blaney finished in third, Chris Buescher in fourth, followed by Chase Elliott in fifth.

John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski, and Austin Cindric rounded out the top 10.

The Cup Series makes a second trip next Saturday under the lights in Hampton, Georgia, at the newly dubbed EchoPark Speedway for the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart.

Stage 1 Results
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Chris Buescher
3. Tyler Reddick
4. Chase Briscoe
5. Erik Jones
6. Zane Smith
7. Kyle Larson
8. Ryan Preece
9. Brad Keselowski
10. Alex Bowman

Stage 2 Results
1. Chase Briscoe
2. Josh Berry
3. Chase Elliott
4. William Byron
5. Chris Buescher
6. Denny Hamlin
7. Austin Cindric
8. Ryan Blaney
9. Kyle Larson
10. Carson Hocevar

The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPa.Com 400 NASCAR Cup Series Results