Chase Briscoe’s quest for victory in the Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway was thwarted on Sunday after a series of devastating tire failures, severely impacting his performance and ultimately dashing his hopes for a title win. The repeated tire troubles hit the No. 19 Toyota at critical moments, altering the course of the Chase Briscoe championship race and leaving team and driver searching for answers as the season concluded in Avondale, Arizona.
Early Setbacks and Mounting Tire Problems
Briscoe, widely recognized as a serious contender heading into the event, encountered tire adversity almost immediately after Friday’s practice, where a flat tire sidelined him within the first 15 minutes. The misfortune carried over into Sunday’s race. While running firmly in the top five on Lap 104, Briscoe’s progress was interrupted once again when another flat tire struck just as Shane van Gisbergen spun off Turn 4, leading to a caution; despite this, the No. 19 Toyota maintained its track position on the lead lap.
Undaunted, Briscoe charted a rapid comeback, breaking back into the top 10 by Lap 160. His tenacity saw him climb to fifth, but disaster struck yet again at Lap 215 with another cut tire—this time, only two laps after fellow title hopeful Kyle Larson faced his own tire issue. Both contenders lost a lap, yet Briscoe was set to regain position under the next caution, which came when Carson Hocevar hit the wall.
Speaking candidly about the relentless tire woes, crew chief James Small stated,
“It was a [expletive]ing [expletive]show, really,”
James Small, Crew Chief. He elaborated further, highlighting the mysterious causes behind the incidents:
“Today, it was right rears and we kept running over things. It wasn’t air pressure – it wasn’t that. Every time we had one that came off, it had a cut in the base. There was so much fucking debris out there.”
Small also made clear that while Briscoe and his team faced these difficulties, their teammates were spared:
“Obviously, we just got unlucky. I know where our teammates were, I know where we were. Not a single one of them had a problem. Just part of the deal, I guess.”
James Small, Crew Chief.
Strategic Gambles in the Race’s Final Stages
Relentless in his pursuit, Briscoe surged once again into the top 10 by Lap 257. With 34 laps to go, a caution brought by JJ Yeley prompted a bold decision from James Small and Cliff Daniels of the No. 5 team; they opted for a two-tire change—an approach designed to challenge for the lead. On the restart, teammate Denny Hamlin, who had dominated by leading 208 laps, capitalized on position and overtook the leaders, while Briscoe lost ground.
The drama continued as the remaining laps dwindled. William Byron, another key Championship 4 competitor, suffered a late flat tire, which led to an overtime restart. Having only scuffed tires from earlier qualifying sessions, Briscoe’s team decided on a four-tire change. This last gamble failed to pay off; as the checkered flag fell, Briscoe dropped to 18th place, finishing third among the championship contenders.
Reviewing the high-stakes decision-making, Small offered a frank assessment:
“Should have made a different call at the end; I know better,”
James Small, Crew Chief. He further reflected on their tire choice:
“[Expletive] take right side tires like we should have done. He thought he could make it work on four, which was never going to happen. Anyway, I learned my lesson, so all good.”
James Small, Crew Chief. These comments highlighted the sense of lost opportunity that shadowed the team’s strategy.
Briscoe Reflects on Missed Opportunities and a Gritty Campaign
The succession of tire failures had Briscoe contemplating what might have been in his debut with the Championship 4. Expressing his viewpoint, Briscoe commented on his determination throughout the race:
“I definitely felt like I was more than capable,”
Chase Briscoe, Driver. He described the repeated efforts to return to the front and his wish to compete on equal terms without incident:
“Just to go from the back to the front that many times. I would have loved to have just been able to race straight up.”
Looking back on the race, Briscoe summed up the bittersweet nature of the experience:
“Definitely, it’s a race of what could have been. I feel like hopefully people felt like we were here and in contention. We weren’t average running position-wise up there a whole lot. If we could have started up front, not even started up front, but not had issue after issue, we would have been in the mix.”
Chase Briscoe, Driver.
Despite the setbacks, Briscoe maintained pride in his breakthrough season with Joe Gibbs Racing, recording career-best performances across various metrics. He drew inspiration from previous moments of resilience, including a memorable Xfinity Series outing at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he fought back from a deep deficit to claim a podium finish.
His never-say-die approach was evident as he shared,
“My whole career has been ‘never give up,’ you never know what can happen,”
Chase Briscoe, Driver. He reinforced the constant need for perseverance:
“I feel like I race with that. I’ve had it multiple times throughout my career where you cannot give up in these races.”
Briscoe found encouragement in the car’s capabilities as well:
“Our car was obviously good enough. I could just go from the back right back to the front. I knew my car was good. Just trying to stay in it. You never know. Late cautions can happen, pit strategy, whatever.”
Chase Briscoe, Driver.
Looking Ahead After a Season Defined by Grit and Adversity
While tire failures disrupted Chase Briscoe’s championship bid, his unyielding effort and competitive spirit left a mark on the Cup Series Championship race. The events in Phoenix highlighted the unpredictability and intensity of elite motorsport competition, especially when fate intervenes. Both crew chief James Small and Briscoe have their eyes set on the future, carrying forward the lessons learned as they prepare for new opportunities and challenges in pursuit of NASCAR‘s top honors.
