LINCOLN, Ala. – In an overtime restart where only the right moves in the draft separated playoff contenders from the chance to race for a NASCAR Cup championship, Chase Briscoe found his way to the lead on the final lap to win the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe advances to the Championship 4 for the first time in his career and will have the opportunity to race for his first Cup title.
After a frentic battle among the lead pack in the final 10 laps ended with Chris Buescher crashing out of the lead with two laps to go, the race came down to an overtime restart that was seemingly set to be decided between Hendrick Motorsports teammates, with William Byron and Kyle Larson lining up first and second and a Championship 4 spot at stake for both. But on the final lap, things went awry for both when Larson ran out of fuel while leading the inside line on the backstretch, opening the door for Briscoe to make his move.
With Larson dropping back clearing the inside line, Briscoe ducked to the inside of Bubba Wallace entering turn 3 for the final time, picking up enough drafting help from teammate Ty Gibbs to clear Wallace in the trioval. As Wallace got split three wide and Byron was spun out coming to the finish line, Briscoe was able to make it to the checkered flag at the front, securing the fifth win of his career and by far the most significant to date.
“I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race. I haven’t done it at any level,” Briscoe told NBC Sports. “… It’s not hit me. We’re going to Phoenix.”
“So thankful that the Lord has blessed me opening doors, even closing doors at times, but certainly opening an incredible door here with Joe Gibbs Racing. God is so good, I say it all the time. Even today, I just had such a peace. Normally I’m scared to death, a nervous wreck around this place. And I had such a peace that regardless of the finish, He was going to use it somehow for His glory. And pretty cool that it ends up in Victory Lane.”
Todd Gilliland earned his best career Cup finish in second, followed by Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace, and Cole Custer. The rest of the top 10 was made up of Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Zane Smith, and Brad Keselowski.
With this victory – his third of 2025 – Briscoe joins teammate Denny Hamlin in the Championship 4, giving Joe Gibbs Racing at least a 50 percent chance of winning the Cup championship at the end of a day that proved difficult for rival companies Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske. Larson and Byron’s last lap issues saw them finish 25th and 26th, while Chase Elliott was taken out in a grinding multi-car crash near the end of stage 1, finishing 40th, leaving him 62 points back of the cut line entering the Round of 8 finale at Martinsville.
As for Team Penske, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano went from leading the race to being shuffled back in the pack, unable to return to the front when the field formed up three-wide. Logano and Blaney finished 16th and 23rd, respectively, both in must-win scenarios at Martinsville along with Byron.#YellaWood500 results.
