Briscoe best in class at ‘worst racetrack’ after coming home second to SVG

Chase Briscoe had his best Cup Series road course race to date. He spent the majority of the day in front of all his usual rivals and shared the front row for all of the race’s final restarts.

There was just one issue: he was racing against Shane van Gisbergen for the win.

“I obviously never played basketball against Michael Jordan in his prime, but I feel like that’s what it was probably like,” Briscoe said afterward. “That guy is just unbelievable on road courses. He’s just so good. He’s really raised the bar in this entire series.”

As he’s done for three- consecutive road- and street-course events, van Gisbergen proved to be the class of the field in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350. The Kiwi qualified on pole, surged to the front at the start and led comfortably for the majority of Sunday’s race.

Running in his shadow? Briscoe, who surprised himself, but couldn’t find a way to compete against the Supercars transplant in the closing laps. Save for a couple competitive restarts, Briscoe was quickly dispatched and spent his afternoon as the best of the rest.

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“I thought there was one restart I was maybe going to get clear of him. But I mean truthfully, even if I cleared him, he was probably going to pass me back by the end of the lap,” Briscoe admitted. “Proud of the effort. We were a second-place car all day and obviously ended up second.

“Honestly, I don’t know what more I need. I feel like my car is extremely good. I feel like every time I would kind of run down Shane, he would just pick up the pace himself and start driving back away.”

While coming home second was a disappointing result at day’s end, Briscoe had reason for optimism on Sunday. The Hoosier didn’t need a win. He’s already locked into the playoffs with his June triumph at Pocono Raceway.

Sunday was a good points day and one of the best overall performances he’s managed since joining the No. 19 team for 2025. And more than anything, it was a pleasant surprise for Briscoe at a track that’s challenged him significantly in his Cup career to date.

“It was frustrating at times, but I was honestly happy with the effort,” Briscoe said. “This is by far my worst racetrack. So I kind of surprised myself, truthfully.”

Consistency has still proven difficult to come by for Briscoe and the No. 19 team during the Cup Series’ summer slate. But the team is doing better at making the most of their good days in recent weeks.

Dating back to Kansas Speedway in May, Briscoe has four top-four runs and five finishes of seventh or better in nine races, including the win at Pocono. The stretch has locked Briscoe into the playoffs and helped the 30-year-old rise from 13th to eighth in the regular season standings, giving him a chance at bonus points with the postseason drawing near.