Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is going to be very well-represented in the NASCAR Cup Series season-finale at Phoenix Raceway, with at least two of its three playoff-eligible drivers now guaranteed a spot in the Championship 4.
After Denny Hamlin fought tooth-and-nail to secure his 60th victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last weekend, at the expense of Chase Briscoe, the Mitchell, Indiana-native took fate into his own hands, winning the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Briscoe was able to make it happen with some help from his non-playoff teammate, Ty Gibbs, who gave the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE a mighty shove to the front of the pack in NASCAR Overtime, getting the 30-year-old driver across the line first.
“Ty Gibbs, incredible teammate there,” Briscoe told NBC Sports post-race. “I honestly would not have won that race without Ty. An amazing team effort. I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race, I haven’t done [that] at any level.”
RACE RESULTS: 2025 NCS YellaWood 500 at Talladega
The triumph for Briscoe on Sunday marks his fifth win in the NASCAR Cup Series, three of which have come in his maiden season behind the wheel of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing — Pocono, Darlington, and Talladega. With two races remaining on the schedule, Briscoe leads the series in top-fives, with 15.
“Yeah, absolutely [it’s a dream come true]. So thankful that the Lord has blessed me in opening doors, even closing doors at times,” Briscoe added. “Opening an incredible door here with Joe Gibbs Racing. I say it all the time, even today. I had such peace. Normally, I’m scared to death, a nervous wreck around this place. I had such peace that regardless of the finish, he was going to use it somehow for his glory. Ends up in Victory Lane.”
Briscoe, in winning the event, was able to beat Todd Gilliland to the start-finish line by 0.145 seconds, the largest Margin of Victory (MOV) in a NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway since the Fall of 2017, when Brad Keselowski beat Ryan Newman for the win.
Todd Gilliland, driving the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports, finished runner-up to Briscoe after leading 11 laps on the afternoon. It’s a career-best result for the Sherrills Ford, North Carolina-native and puts him on even footing with his father, David Gilliland, for the family’s best finish in the NASCAR Cup Series.
After delivering the race-winning push to teammate Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs had to settle for a third-place result, while Bubba Wallace, the other Toyota GAZOO Racing driver in the mix for the victory, finished in fourth.
Cole Custer, driving the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Haas Factory Team, put together ANOTHER impressive showing for the organization on the superspeedways, rounding out the top-five in fifth.
Carson Hocevar brought his No. 77 Chevrolet home in sixth, despite some contact with William Byron in the tri-oval on the final lap. Tyler Reddick was seventh, with Christopher Bell, Zane Smith, and Brad Keselowski rounding out the top-10.
Continuing to show some real progress on the ovals in the NASCAR Cup Series, Shane van Gisbergen ran near the front all afternoon and collected an 11th-place result in his No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet.
Six drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs failed to finish inside the top-10, with Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, teammates at Team Penske, finishing 16th and 23rd after coming to pit lane to top off their fuel tanks ahead of the NASCAR Overtime finish.
Denny Hamlin had a strange afternoon at Talladega, running anywhere from the race lead to 39th. But, when it was time for the No. 11 to compete for the win, a mechanical issue kept them from retaining their position at the front of the field.
It was a tough afternoon to be a driver out of the Hendrick Motorsports stable, as all four of their drivers finished 25th or worse, after various issues.
William Byron (spin) and Kyle Larson (out of gas) each had issues on the final lap of the event and finished 25th and 26th, while Alex Bowman (engine issue) finished 29th, and Chase Elliott (40th) was involved in a Lap 51 accident that took out at least 10 cars.
Leaving Talladega, Christopher Bell (+37) and Kyle Larson (+36) sit in a fantastic position when it comes to advancing to the Championship 4 based on their points position. However, a winner from below the cutline could throw things for a massive loop.
The XFINITY 500 at Martinsville Speedway will take place on Sunday, October 26 at 2:00 PM ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
