Chase Briscoe proved to be a contender early in the Unhinged 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. The driver of the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Mustang finished third in the race’s first stage and then took the lead on lap 38 and held the top spot to win the second stage. Briscoe appeared poised to capture his fourth win of the season and his second straight, but when Riley Herbst spun his Toyota on lap 78, he collected Briscoe’s Ford Performance Racing School Mustang. The left-front fender of the No. 98 machine was ripped away, forcing the team to make several pit stops for repairs. Briscoe dropped all the way back to 32nd, but the team kept him on the lead lap, allowing Briscoe to salvage an 18th-place finish.
Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“It’s typical Talladega. You come here and you know what can happen. There’s so much out of your control and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fortunately, we were able to get a stage win, so that’s really the big positive to take away from today. Stage wins will be big come playoff time, and this is a place where you could leave here with nothing to show for it. To be able to at least get a stage win was good. Obviously, we didn’t get the finish we wanted, but we still had a really good Ford Performance Racing School Mustang and this is just part of Talladega and superspeedway racing.”
Notes:
● Briscoe finished third in Stage 1 to earn eight bonus points and first in Stage 2 to earn an additional 10 bonus points and one playoff point.
● Justin Haley won the Unhinged 300 to score his first career Xfinity Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Ross Chastain was .299 of a second.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 22 laps.
● Twenty-three of the 39 drivers in the Unhinged 300 finished on the lead lap.
● Noah Gragson remains the championship leader after Talladega with a 15-point advantage over second-place Briscoe.
Next Up:
The next event on the Xfinity Series schedule is the Pocono Green 225 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway on Sunday, June 28. The race starts at 12:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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