Chase Briscoe: ‘We were definitely the second-best car’

The setup for a breakout season and career year continued Sunday at Sonoma Raceway for Chase Briscoe.

After starting second in the Toyota / Save Mart 350, Briscoe collected nine stage points across the opening two stages, led twice for two laps and collected a runner-up finish to Shane Van Gisbergen.

Briscoe, who posted his seventh Top-5 finish of the year, started side-by-side with SVG during late-race restarts, but couldn’t clear the No. 88 for the lead.

“I felt like every time I would get close, he would just start driving back away,” Briscoe said. “We were definitely the second-best car. I don’t really know what more I need – maybe a little bit a grip, but even if I had a little more grip, I don’t know if I’m going to be able to gain the speed that he had.”

Briscoe’s second-place effort moved the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to eighth in points, gaining one position. He is now the highest he has ranked in points at any point during a season — and at any point in his career after 20 Cup Series races during any of his prior seasons.

Before Sunday, Briscoe’s highest finish at the Northern California road course was a 13th-place finish in 2022.

“This is by far my worst race track, so to run second to him, it definitely means a lot, so proud of the day,” Briscoe said.

In terms of stats, Briscoe has already set personal bests in 2025 in the Top-5 finishes and poles (4) categories.

One more Top-10 finish will match the fifth-year driver’s best of 10 such finishes, set in 2022, and an additional victory will see Briscoe earn his first multi-victory season in the NASCAR Cup Series.