Chase Briscoe’s Las Vegas finish in the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 kept his playoff hopes alive, but not without a tense battle against tire wear and bold strategy calls. With only a 15-point margin above the elimination cutoff, Briscoe’s fourth-place result leaves him in a precarious spot heading into the next playoff rounds.
After previously clinching wins and solid finishes to advance through earlier playoff stages, Briscoe arrived in Las Vegas aiming to build on his momentum. For just the second time in his career—mirroring his experience at Martinsville in 2022—he found himself leading late in a crucial playoff showdown, only for tire wear to complicate his path to victory as the laps wound down.
Pit Strategy Takes Center Stage in Final Laps
Running seventh and dealing with right-rear damage when a late caution slowed the race with 30 laps to go, Briscoe’s crew chief, James Small, opted for a risky two-tire pit stop. This decision granted Briscoe prime track position but put him at a disadvantage compared to competitors on four new tires. Small reasoned that taking four tires would have dropped Briscoe too far back in the field to recover, especially as the car’s handling continued to deteriorate late in the race.
The final restart organized the field for a 14-lap sprint. Briscoe capitalized, surging to the front and opening a gap over Kyle Larson. Behind him, Denny Hamlin—Briscoe’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate—charged forward on fresh tires, closing in as the final laps approached.
Late Race Drama and Losing the Lead
Hamlin overtook Briscoe with four laps to go, securing his own place in the Championship 4 as the new leader. Soon after, both Larson and Christopher Bell also maneuvered past, dropping Briscoe to fourth by the checkered flag. Speaking about the tense closing laps, Briscoe explained,
“Just wish it was six laps shorter or whatever it was. Just I was so loose at the end. I had nothing left. That was everything I had, and glad at least Denny won, you know, JGR car… Didn’t have enough at the end, and unfortunate for sure,”
Briscoe said after the race.
Briscoe further reflected on the car’s struggles up high on the track, adding,
“I was just so loose, truthfully, all day long if I ran the top. So, when I was already that loose on the bottom, I was just scared to death to go up there. And plus with them having new tires, I felt like if I gave them the bottom, they would just drive right underneath me anyways,”
Briscoe admitted.
Two-Tire Gamble Leaves Briscoe Short, but in the Fight
With the rest of the leaders on four fresh Goodyears, Briscoe tried to defend his position using air to block the faster cars. His car remained stable through Turns 1 and 2, but in Turns 3 and 4 he found himself losing half a second per lap—an unsustainable gap that left him vulnerable on the straightaways. Despite the challenge, Briscoe expressed relief that the two-tire strategy held up as long as it did, stating,
“Otherwise, I would have really been in trouble,”
Briscoe admitted.
James Small’s bold call was shaped by necessity—their options were limited and the odds were tough. Ultimately, the gamble allowed Briscoe to remain in contention, even if it meant surrendering the win late to rivals with fresher rubber.
Significance for Playoff Hopes and Moving Forward
The Las Vegas race showed both Briscoe’s resilience and the razor-thin margins that define the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. With just a modest buffer above the elimination line, the outcome places greater importance on Briscoe’s performances in upcoming races. Teammates like Denny Hamlin, who secured a place in the Championship 4, and strong finishers Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, remain fierce competitors as the playoffs intensify.
For Briscoe and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team, the tension of Las Vegas will linger as they work to turn hard-fought top-five finishes into races that secure their own place at the championship table. With strategy decisions under scrutiny and just one misstep potentially spelling elimination, the next round promises even more high-stakes drama and calculated risks.
Hear @chasebriscoe and his crew chief, James Small talk about the tire gamble the No. 19 car took in Las Vegas.
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— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) October 13, 2025
