Chase Briscoe fulfilled his All-American aspiration at Chicagoland Speedway. Hailing from Mitchell, Indiana, Briscoe turned NASCAR’s return to Joliet into a major Midwest success. Celebrating by pretending to fish in honor of his sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, Briscoe embraced the moment fully.
“I felt like that was the most American I’ll ever feel in my life,” Briscoe said. “Winning in the red, white and blue Bass Pro Shops paint scheme on Fourth of July weekend on the 250th year of America … what a cool weekend.”
Briscoe defended his lead against Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell to claim his first Cup Series win of the season, taking the eero 400 title before a full house at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet. Points leader Denny Hamlin solidified his position with a third-place finish. William Byron led with 94 laps and won the first two stages but ended up fourth, just above Alex Bowman, the 2019 Chicagoland champion.
Other top finishers included Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim, and Riley Herbst. Tyler Reddick, previously one point behind Hamlin in the standings, faced setbacks, finishing 36th due to a radiator issue.
Briscoe emerged from the pits in the lead with 42 laps left, holding off a strong challenge from Bell.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say that when I saw him coming I was like, ‘Of course, I’m going to get beat at the end on tires and be the last guy to not win at JGR,” Briscoe stated. “But I was already driving as hard as I could. I just knew I had to be perfect.”
Briscoe, who also won an ARCA race at Chicagoland in 2016, expressed delight in conquering a 1.5-mile track for the first time in the Cup Series.
“I haven’t been able to win on a 1.5-mile track in the Cup Series before now,” he said. “It’s really cool to win at one of them. I feel like they’re a staple of what the Cup Series is.”
The race started with a local icon at the wheel of the pace car—Mike Alstott, a former Joliet Catholic star and longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers fullback.
“It’s great to be back home and to be here representing NASCAR and Joliet in the pace car,” Alstott remarked. “I understand the NASCAR community and how loyal they are and how they love their races and their drivers and the whole experience.”
Joe Gibbs, a Hall of Fame NFL coach, saw his team achieve victory.
“It’s a special weekend,” Gibbs remarked. “I appreciate everyone in Chicago and it’s just great being back here. There are so many great fans.”
With Bell, another Gibbs driver, missing the top spot, he commented on the team’s performance.
“It was a great day,” Bell noted. “We almost went to victory lane. Toyotas are fast. It seems like a monkey can drive them. It’s just disappointing when you get beat by another monkey.”
For Briscoe, the victory offered another reason to celebrate—it was his crew chief James Small’s birthday. When asked about a gift for Small, Briscoe replied,
“This was it,” he said. “For James, this is as good as it’s going to get.”