Things are getting uncomfortably close at the top of the NASCAR Cup Series postseason. Out at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a pair of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates scrapped it out for the win as Chase Briscoe fended off Christopher Bell by a razor-thin 0.029 seconds to take the victory in the Bank of America 400. Denny Hamlin quietly brought his machine home in fifth, but behind the frantic action at the front, championship leader Kyle Larson walked away without a top-five finish for the first time this year in The Chase presented by Mobil 1.
Driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Larson crossed the line in sixth place—a postseason-worst result that brought a sudden halt to an otherwise blistering run. Larson still leads the standings, sitting 49 points ahead of Hamlin, while Bell and Briscoe trail by 51 and 65 points respectively. Even with second place paying just 35 points, Larson knows the cushion isn't enough with four races left on the calendar. “I won’t feel comfortable until it’s over,” Larson admitted after the race, pointing out that wins take massive chunks out of a lead and that tough tracks are looming.
It just seems like we’re pretty good, just not really top two right now,
Larson has been the absolute class of the field through the opening 60% of The Chase, racking up two wins and an absurd 2.8 average finish. He looked the part early at Charlotte too, pacing the field for a race-high 97 laps before getting swallowed up in traffic and losing ground to Toyota's relentless pace. For crew chief Cliff Daniels, the afternoon served as a much-needed wake-up call regarding the true state of the championship battle. “I mean the Toyotas were really fast, and honestly, a good reality check for us,” Daniels said, noting that while the No. 5 car was decent early on, it lacked the strength needed once stuck in traffic.
Joe Gibbs Racing is smelling blood. Team owner Joe Gibbs is thrilled with having three cars sitting roughly 50 to 65 points behind the leader, noting that in professional sports, all you can ask for with four races to go is a fighting chance. Briscoe is certainly making the most of that chance, securing his second consecutive victory after previously surging past Larson at Kansas Speedway and fending off late charges. His crew chief, James Small, isn't planning to lift off the throttle anytime soon. “I think we’ve got to step on their throats while we can,” Small said, emphasizing that simply running second or third won't close a 65-point gap.
Briscoe echoes that killer instinct inside the cockpit, arguing that dominance and extreme aggression are the only paths to erasing Larson's advantage. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin—the original top seed in The Chase—is still hunting for his first win since a June 14 triumph at Pocono Raceway. Despite a mid-race charge that saw him battle back from an early pit penalty and muscle past Larson on a restart, Hamlin's speed plateaued. “It just seems like we’re pretty good, just not really top two right now,” Hamlin said after finishing fifth.
With Bell missing out on the victory by a mere 0.029 seconds and sitting third in points, the JGR pack is swarming. Larson understands the road ahead contains hurdles, specifically noting that Phoenix has proven difficult for his team lately. Yet amidst the rising pressure, Daniels remains unfazed by the storm brewing behind them. “I feel like it’s us against us, and it’s always been that way,” Daniels stated, dismissing the idea of wasting brain cells worrying about how fast the competition is moving.
