Chase Briscoe logged his third runner-up finish in four weeks, taking second at Iowa Speedway behind William Byron after similar near-misses at Dover and Sonoma. Despite consistently putting himself within striking distance, the Joe Gibbs Racing newcomer has yet to convert those opportunities into a win.
Advertisement
Iowa, a track Briscoe calls his “favorite” on the NASCAR Cup Series calendar, seemed primed to deliver his breakthrough. His past wins there, a 2016 ARCA Menards Series win and a 2019 Xfinity Series victory, hinted at another celebration. Late in Sunday’s 350-lap battle, it looked like the No. 19 Toyota would reel in Byron, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver conserved just enough fuel to cross the line first, capturing his second win of the season.
Reflecting on another second-place run, Briscoe said, “I don’t know. Sonoma, we were just, nobody had anything for SVG. Then Dover, I definitely felt like I could have potentially won that one if I were a little more aggressive. Then today I felt like I was kind of second best there at the end. And even if there was another five laps, I was probably going to run four.”
“So I just kind of died there at the end of the run. I don’t know. We’ve been in position enough, running second like that, you’re going to end up winning some of them. It just hasn’t went our way the last three or four of them. So hopefully next week it will be that way,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Byron, who started second alongside Briscoe, dominated the afternoon by leading 141 of 350 laps. He reclaimed the lead for good on Lap 277 after passing teammate Chase Elliott on a restart, then endured multiple cautions that turned the closing stage into a high-stakes fuel gamble. The No. 24 team had pitted earlier than its closest challengers, forcing Byron to balance pace with conservation over the final stretch.
Briscoe, who was really close to snatching the lead, thought he was running Byron down. He said, “I thought I was really in the catbird seat there… I kind of experienced that when I was leading earlier. I caught the back of the field, and kind of same thing.
“As soon as I got there, I kind of died. So, unfortunate, you’re just kind of limited where you can go with the repave and everything.”
But then, in the end, Byron’s careful management paid off. Briscoe could never fully close the gap, and the race wrapped without last-lap fireworks. Byron’s No. 24 Chevy coasted to victory and then sputtered out during his celebratory burnout, a fitting finish for a driver who squeezed every last drop to secure the win.
