NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe has endured a challenging season. Until Friday.
Ranked 31st in the playoff points standings entering the final regular-season event, Briscoe needs a win during Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway to qualify for the playoffs.
Briscoe received a jolt of confidence by winning the pole position during Friday’s qualifying session with a hot lap of 181.822 mph. Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Aric Almirola (181.693 mph) will start on the outside of the front row.
“Super cool to do it here,” Briscoe told NBC Sports after claiming his second career pole.
Along with Briscoe, three other winless pilots are starting in the top five, featuring Harrison Burton (P3), Bubba Wallace (P4) and Ty Gibbs (P5).
With one open postseason spot remaining, Wallace leads Gibbs by 32 points.
Chase Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, also needs a win to qualify for the playoffs. He starts P23.
A 1-2 for @StewartHaasRcng in qualifying!@ChaseBriscoe_14 on pole with @Aric_Almirola in second. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/oZQdNf5n7P
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 25, 2023
Ty Gibbs Racing For More Than ROY Honors
The NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honor was clinched well before Ty Gibbs’ only true rival was benched.
Gibbs, 20, beat fellow rookie Noah Gragson in 15 of 17 head-to-head Cup Series matchups before the former Legacy Motor Club driver departed the garage following a social media issue.
Now, with no other qualified rookies in the field for Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Gibbs has sealed the top first-driver award for his grandfather’s race team, Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). The reigning Xfinity Series titleholder, Gibbs likely will become the third rookie driver from JGR in 32 years to earn the award, joining Tony Stewart (1999) and Denny Hamlin (2006). Gibbs was named the Xfinity Series ROY in 2021.
Thirteen previous Cup Series ROY winners went on to become circuit champions. Gibbs intends to be No. 14.
“My focus right now is trying to win at Daytona and putting the Monster Energy Toyota team in the Playoffs,” Gibbs said, as reported by Autoweek. “But if it works out at the end of the year that we’re rookie of the year, that’s a special award.
“But it’s not just for me, it’s for everybody on the 54 team and everyone back at the shop. It’s a team effort; we’ve run well this year. We want to run well every week. That’s always been our focus.”
Still seeking his first Cup win, Gibbs enters Saturday’s regular-season finale 32 points below the final open playoff spot, occupied by Bubba Wallace.
Ty Gibbs finished fifth at Watkins Glen and heads to Daytona likely needing to win to make the playoffs. HIs thoughts on his race Sunday and his outlook for Saturday night. pic.twitter.com/E2i3EodjXE
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 21, 2023
Starting Lineup for NASCAR Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400
Here is a look at the lineup for Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway:
Starting Position, Driver, Car No., Team
- 1, Chase Briscoe, 14, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 2, Aric Almirola, 10, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 3, Harrison Burton, 21, Wood Brothers Racing
- 4, Bubba Wallace, 23, 23XI Racing
- 5, Ty Gibbs, 54, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 6, Riley Herbst, 36, Front Row Motorsports
- 7, Kyle Larson, 5, Hendrick Motorsports
- 8, Ryan Blaney, 12, Team Penske
- 9, Ryan Preece, 41, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 10, Kevin Harvick, 4, Stewart-Haas Racing
- 11, Chris Buescher, 17, RFK Racing
- 12, Brad Keselowski, 6, RFK Racing
- 13, Martin Truex Jr., 19, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 14, Joey Logano, 22, Team Penske
- 15, Christopher Bell, 20, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 16, Austin Cindric, 2, Team Penske
- 17, AJ Allmendinger, 16, Kaulig Racing
- 18, Kyle Busch, 8, Richard Childress Racing
- 19, Denny Hamlin, 11, Joe Gibbs Racing
- 20, Tyler Reddick, 45, 23XI Racing
- 21, Austin Dillon, 3, Richard Childress Racing
- 22, Daniel Suarez, 99, Trackhouse Racing
- 23, Chase Elliott, 9, Hendrick Motorsports
- 24, Erik Jones, 43, Legacy Motor Club
- 25, Ross Chastain, 1, Trackhouse Racing
- 26, Austin Hill, 62, Beard Motorsports
- 27, William Byron, 24, Hendrick Motorsports
- 28, Justin Haley, 31, Kaulig Racing
- 29, Josh Berry, 42, Legacy Motor Club
- 30, Ty Dillon, 77, Spire Motorsports
- 31, Alex Bowman, 48, Hendrick Motorsports
- 32, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 47, JTG Daugherty Racing
- 33, JJ Yeley, 51, Rick Ware Racing
- 34, Brennan Poole, 15, Rick Ware Racing
- 35, Todd Gilliland, 38, Front Row Motorsports
- 36, Chandler Smith, 13, Kaulig Racing
- 37, Corey LaJoie, 7, Spire Motorsports
- 38, BJ McLeod, 78, Live Fast Motorsports
- 39, Michael McDowell, 34, Front Row Motorsports
NASCAR, FanDuel Announce Multi-Year Partnership – https://t.co/Vos4mE32w4 pic.twitter.com/819yU7aVKr
— SpeedwayMedia (@SpeedwayMedia) August 25, 2023
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