Chase Briscoe survived a charge from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin while saving enough fuel to win the NASCAR Cup Series’ Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway Sunday (June 22).
Briscoe scored his first career victory as a JGR driver, securing his ticket to the 2025 playoffs at the 2.5-mile track.
“Just an amazing day for our race team, you know this is probably the first race we executed truthfully all year long,” Briscoe told Prime Video post-race. “To get Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops in victory lane, to get Toyota in (victory lane), Joe Gibbs Racing they took a big chance on me but for me to be able to get here and finally deliver is just an awesome feeling.”
Good to the last drop. pic.twitter.com/XoTltX1Vec
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 22, 2025
Hamlin’s last ditch effort to catch Briscoe came up one sport short of an eighth win at Pocono.
“The key moment was when (Briscoe) and three or four others pitted when that caution came out and leapfrogged in front of us,” Hamlin said on Prime. “We knew it was going to be difficult to pass those guys back on the racetrack, so team did a great job, next best in line there on our strategy just didn’t work out.”
Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, John Hunter Nemechek, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski and Austin Cindric completed the top 10.
Blaney had an up and down afternoon that saw him start at the rear of the field for the initial start of the race, followed by a pit road speeding penalty on lap 58. Blaney wound up having to rally through the field twice and wound up finishing third.
“Really proud of the whole 12 guys, from starting at the back and then getting caught speeding, and having to come back through there again,” Blaney told Prime. “I think after having to start at the back and after my mistake, I feel like I recovered really well with the car we had.”
Hamlin was strong in the opening stage of the race, fending off several challenges from RFK Racing’s Buescher before ultimately taking the stage one victory.
Strategy was on top of everyone’s minds, with a handful of drivers opting to pit before the end of stage one. Keselowski, Cole Custer and Ty Gibbs were among some of the first to hit pit road to flip the stage and started stage two with better track position.
Keselowski assumed control of the race after not going for stage points in the opening stage and led 24 laps. However, the No. 6 was issued a penalty for pitting when pit road was closed, forcing Keselowski to the back of the field.
Several cautions jumbled up strategies in the second stage, including a multi-car accident on lap 83 involving Kyle Busch, Shane van Gisbergen, Christopher Bell and Ty Dillon.
Trouble at the rear of the field collects multiple cars! pic.twitter.com/K7XWWYupMW
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 22, 2025
Stage two again featured varying pit strategies, leading to a handful of drivers taking turns at the front of the field. Briscoe, who stopped at lap 75 under green before a yellow for debris, was able to maintain the lead to score the stage two win ahead of Josh Berry, who pitted a lap ahead of Briscoe.
Multiple drivers suffered brake rotor issues, including all three 23XI Racing drivers — Bubba Wallace, Riley Herbst and Tyler Reddick. Reddick was able to return to the race after spending time in the garage, but finished a disappointing 32nd, one lap behind winner Briscoe.
For some fans, big weekends like this are also a cue to explore betting options beyond the track. NASCAR wagers remain popular; however, many diversify with online gambling—particularly with an uptick in minimum deposit casinos in the US, which let you play without overcommitting funds.
NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Results
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the renamed EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) for the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart Saturday, June 28. Race coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT with radio coverage on PRN and simulcasted on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Channel 90.
