Chase Briscoe has once again demonstrated his prowess in NASCAR by securing the pole position for the upcoming race at Iowa Speedway. Briscoe’s impressive lap time of 23.004 seconds allowed him to outpace his nearest competitor, William Byron, by a margin of 0.084 seconds. This performance marks Briscoe’s sixth pole since joining Joe Gibbs Racing and continues a strong streak that has seen him achieve three front-row starts in the last three races.
“It’s definitely been great on Saturdays for our Bass Pro Shops Toyota,” Briscoe remarked following his qualifying run. He expressed a desire to translate this qualifying success into race day victories. “We’ve been fast on Sundays too, just haven’t been able to come out on top yet,” he added. Briscoe credited his crew chief, James Small, and the entire team for their hard work in improving the car’s performance.
Briscoe’s current season includes a notable victory at Pocono, where he qualified sixth. His pole positions this year have included prestigious events such as the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the Brickyard 400.
Qualifying Results and Implications
In the starting lineup, Kyle Larson will begin in third place, followed by Austin Cindric in fourth and Brad Keselowski in fifth. The top ten also features Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar, Chase Elliott, A.J. Allmendinger, and Justin Haley.
Despite Briscoe’s strong performance, his closest teammate is Denny Hamlin, who qualified 11th. Other notable placements include Christopher Bell in 17th and Ty Gibbs in 20th. Several prominent drivers faced challenges during qualifying, with Tyler Reddick starting in 22nd, Daniel Suarez in 26th, and Chris Buescher in 27th.
Buescher and Ryan Preece, teammates at RFK Racing, are currently separated by 42 points for the final playoff spot, adding competitive tension to their positions.
The short track at Iowa proved difficult for several competitors, with many struggling to maintain control of their vehicles. Fortunately, there were no major incidents during qualifying. However, Kyle Busch experienced a significant crash in practice, leading Richard Childress Racing to bring out a backup car. As a result, Busch will start in the 37th position, the last spot on the grid.
As the NASCAR Cup series progresses, the focus will shift to race day, where Briscoe aims to convert his qualifying success into a victory. With the support of his team and a strong car, he remains a contender to watch in the upcoming race.
