Posted June 28, 2020 by Justin Melillo Feature

#PoconoTriple Race #2: Chase Briscoe wins after eventful day in the mountains

LONG POND, PA –– Chase Briscoe had himself a day.

It’s a day that he can smile about now that it’s over, and he’s found himself in victory lane.

It was a day that included a speeding penalty, a spin (while leading) and a fierce battle with Ross Chastain for the top spot in the later stages of the race, but ultimately, Briscoe and team celebrated a win in the Pocono Green 250 on Sunday afternoon.

“We were really not that good at the beginning,” Briscoe said post-race. “We kind of struggled and didn’t have the speed I really anticipated us to have here, and then Zippy and the guys just kept working on it and kept getting it better and better. We had the lead there after I sped on pit road and I was a little worried, but, fortunately, a lot of the good cars got tore up, so that made it a little bit easier to get back through the field.”

On the final restart, Chastain was able to take advantage in the first corner, but Briscoe fought back. A little bumper action moved Chastain out of the way, and Briscoe never looked back from there.

“I felt like if I picked the bottom I could have maybe slid him, but I was really tight and I was worried if I went to the bottom I would get too tight on exit,” Briscoe said. When I was catching Ross, I knew his trouble end was the tunnel turn. He was just so loose, so I just tried to use that to my advantage. I knew that was my one spot where I could probably make a pass and it was fun. We raced clean the whole time and it’s always fun when you can do that.”

Noah Gragson started on the pole by virtue of a random draw, but Austin Cindric made his presence known early.

Cindric pulled away an incredible amount away from the rest of the field before a caution closed the field back together. Regardless, Cindric and team opted to go for the Stage 1 victory, and was successful in doing so.

Chastain was on a different strategy than most, and didn’t pit at all through most of the first two stages. That was until he finally came down for service at lap 38 from the lead, and that gave Justin Allgaier the lead and the second stage victory.

A big pileup out of the Tunnel Turn shook the field up immensely. Cindric and Allgaier both were involved. The damage ended Cindric’s day, and ruined Allgaier’s shot a victory.

After receiving a speeding penalty shortly before the big wreck, Briscoe ended up taking over control. The field looked to thin out and the race had a feeling of green, but then disaster struck Briscoe a second time, as he spun due to a flat rear tire.

It wasn’t over yet, though. Through the multiple restarts, Briscoe was able to get back to Chastain for the battle for the lead.

Briscoe took control again, but then a caution with just over five laps to go bunched up the field one last time for an overtime melee.

Chastain got the advantage, with help from the damaged Allgaier, but Briscoe gave the No. 10 a shot, and moved him out of the way. That was all she wrote, and Briscoe celebrated his fourth win of the 2020 season, and sixth of his career.

The race-winning move, courtesy of @ChaseBriscoe5.#PoconoGreen225 | @PoconoRaceway pic.twitter.com/Bu8vrBqkA1

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) June 28, 2020