Chase Briscoe entered the Charlotte Roval on the edge of elimination despite finishing inside the top 10 in each of the five playoff races leading up to it. Sitting seventh in the standings with only a 21-point cushion above the cutoff, the prices were sky-high for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver heading into Sunday’s Round of 12 finale.
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In a media session earlier in the week, Briscoe acknowledged that his path to the Round of 8 was simple: finish ahead of Joey Logano and Ross Chastain. However, in his four previous starts at the Roval, his best result had been ninth. This time, his challenge grew steeper as he battled nausea throughout the race.
By the end of Stage 1, Briscoe had asked his team for medication. NBC Sports’ Leigh Diffey reported that the crew handed him an ice pack to help him cool down. Despite feeling under the weather, he closed Stage 1 in seventh, holding a 19-point advantage. His struggles deepened in Stage 2, slipping to 23rd place.
When the checkered flag waved, Shane van Gisbergen had clinched his fifth straight road course victory, while Briscoe crossed the line 14th, enough to punch his ticket to the Round of 8 by a narrow margin, though he now trails the cutoff by 14 points in seventh, one spot above Logano.
Chase Briscoe is battling nasuea and has asked team for some medication, if avaliable. #NASCAR
— Chris Knight (@Knighter01) October 5, 2025
“It was definitely an odd day,” Briscoe admitted. “We definitely just weren’t that great in the first place. I don’t know. They gave me a pill in the beginning, and I felt a lot better. I was just so dizzy, I’ve been fighting something all week, and I sound terrible, I’m sure.”
“After the first 20 laps, I was able to kind of feel fine. At the end, I was struggling a little bit, but I was just cruising, trying to not make a mistake. So, it wasn’t a super pretty day for our Bass Pro Shop Tracker Toyota. But it was good enough; that’s all we needed to do,” he continued.
Briscoe later noted that surviving the Roval felt like clearing the biggest hurdle of the playoffs. Looking ahead, he expressed confidence about the next stretch of races, Las Vegas, Talladega, and Martinsville, describing them as more traditional tracks where he feels comfortable.
Reflecting on the previous round’s grind, Briscoe admitted, New Hampshire was never kind to him. But he feels really good about Vegas and Talladega, and Martinsville was decent for him earlier this year. For the #19 JGR driver, the toughest test may be behind him, but the road to Phoenix remains anything but smooth sailing.
