As Motorsport.com reports, Chase Briscoe managed to hold on for a stunning win in Las Vegas on Sunday, banishing the ghost of last week's near-miss in Kansas. It was a wild finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where he had to withstand intense late pressure from both Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick to finally take the checkered flag.
Coming into this weekend, the pain of Kansas was still raw. In that previous outing, Briscoe had made a daring pass on Larson with 30 laps left to grab the lead away from the dominant No. 5 machine, only to watch Larson wrestle it back with just seven laps remaining. Left scrambling in what he described as desperation mode then, Briscoe carried that heavy mental weight all the way to Nevada.
But I knew in three and four, if I just hit the bottom properly and slowed down, which I’m normally not very good at, that he was going to have a hard time getting by me.
So when he finally secured the victory on Sunday, the relief was palpable, even if the competitive fire in him immediately flared up. In the frantic moments after climbing out of the car, Briscoe actually half-jokingly apologized to his crew for not going back-to-back.
"I mean, not really. We could have had another win. I don’t think I would’ve been able to get on the plane, they would’ve all kicked my butt if I—[crew chief] James [Small] definitely. I was scared to see him if I didn’t pull that one off. What an amazing day," Briscoe admitted.
Keeping the chasing pack behind him was no easy feat, especially with Larson mounting a late-race charge that threatened to mimic his heroics from Kansas. But Briscoe played a smart defensive game through the closing laps to deny the Chase leader.
"In one and two, I felt like if I could just somewhat cover where he was at, it’s a huge guessing game," Briscoe explained. "But I knew in three and four, if I just hit the bottom properly and slowed down, which I’m normally not very good at, that he was going to have a hard time getting by me."
With this crucial victory in the bag, Briscoe climbed three positions in the Chase standings, putting himself 84 points adrift of the lead with five races remaining on the calendar. By fending off Larson, he also prevented the No. 5 camp from pulling away even further at the halfway mark of the postseason.
The entire field now turns its attention to Charlotte for next weekend's round, where the battle for the championship continues.
