Chase Briscoe Punches Ticket to Championship 4 with Overtime Win at Talladega

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Joe Gibbs Racing is now two-for-two in getting its drivers into the Championship 4 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs after Chase Briscoe pulled off the overtime win in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

The driver of the No. 19 Toyota entered the day as the car on the bubble in the final transfer spot with his one hope being to leave Talladega not in that same position in danger of getting bumped out next weekend at Martinsville.

He would get his wish.

With the race pushed to overtime after a crash with two laps to go in regulation, Briscoe would line up in sixth place for the overtime restart behind Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace.

On the final lap, Briscoe found himself behind Wallace as the two Toyotas looked to gang up on the Chevrolet in the lower lane. Wallace and Briscoe surged forward as the lower lane fell apart after Larson ran out of fuel.

Briscoe made his move entering Turn 3 for the final time, diving low on Wallace with help from his JGR teammate Ty Gibbs to push him into the lead as the field stormed off Turn 4 and into the tri-oval.

But it was still going to be a dogfight between the two Toyotas, Briscoe and Gibbs on the bottom and Wallace and Todd Gilliland on the top. Ultimately, the lower lane would prevail as Briscoe skated across the line in first, edging out Gilliland for the win by 0.145 seconds.

Gibbs would finish the race in third, followed by Wallace in fourth, and Cole Custer in fifth.

CHASE BRISCOE IS A @TALLADEGA WINNER! 🏁 pic.twitter.com/pwfiMdP9w1

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 19, 2025

“Ty Gibbs, incredible teammate there,” Briscoe said afterwards. “I mean, I honestly would not have won that race without Ty. An amazing team effort. I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race. I haven’t done it at any level.

“Thank you guys so much. Every time we come to Talladega, this place is sold out. Johnny Morris is here from Bass Pro Shops. It’s not hit me. We’re going to Phoenix.”

“So thankful that the Lord has blessed me opening doors, even closing doors at times. Opening an incredible door here with Joe Gibbs Racing.

“I say it all the time, even today, I had such a peace. Normally I’m scared to death, nervous wreck around this place. I had such a peace that regardless of the finish He was going to use it somehow for His glory. Ends up in Victory Lane.”

Gilliland’s runner-up finish was a career-best for the Front Row Motorsports driver, equaling the same mark his father David reached in the Cup Series, also at Talladega in 2013.

“I’m definitely excited, but maybe wishing a little bit what I could’ve done differently,” said Gilliland.

“I’m sure in 10 or 15 minutes it will sink in and I’ll be pretty happy. I mean, that’s just the dream, right? To be in contention to win a race like this, and I certainly think we had everything to get it done in our Ford Mustang. We just came up a bit short.”

Meanwhile, Wallace was disappointed in having come so close to banking a second win in 2025 and another win at Talladega.

“Just came up a couple spots short,” said Wallace. “Disappointed for our team. Thought we gave ourselves a really good opportunity there at the end and just didn’t have all the pieces of the puzzle there. So, bummed, frustrated, pissed off. Wanted to get us another one, but we got two more.”

The remainder of the top-10 went to Carson Hocevar, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Zane Smith, and Brad Keselowski.

Briscoe and Bell were the only Playoff drivers to finish inside the top-10, with Bell carrying a 37-point advantage over the cut-off line into Martinsville, one point ahead of Larson for the fourth and final transfer spot into the Championship 4. Larson would end the day in 26^th place.

The other Playoff drivers finishing further back in the running order included Joey Logano in 16^th, Ryan Blaney in 23^rd, Denny Hamlin in 24^th, William Byron in 25^th, and Chase Elliott in 40^th.

Byron will head to Martinsville 36 points below the cut-off line after getting spun in overtime while running behind Briscoe and Gibbs on the final lap. Logano is now 38 points back, with Blaney 47 points in arears, and Elliott bringing up the rear with a 62-point deficit.

All four drivers below the cut-off line are now in a must-win position to be able to surpass either Bell or Larson for a spot in the Championship 4.

NASCAR Cup Series – YellaWood 500 at Talladega Race Results