Honestly, if you weren't watching the fuel gauges at the end of the most recent trip to Long Pond, you weren't really watching the race. Pocono Raceway—that massive, weird, three-turn "Tricky Triangle"—just has a way of turning a 400-mile sprint into a high-stakes math problem.
Chase Briscoe is the name you’re looking for. He didn't just win; he basically pulled off a heist against the best in the business.
It was June 2025. The sun was beating down on the Pennsylvania asphalt, and the atmosphere was thick. Briscoe, driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, managed to hold off a charging Denny Hamlin and a very persistent Ryan Blaney to take the checkered flag. This wasn't just another win for the history books; it was Briscoe’s first-ever trophy with JGR and only the third of his Cup Series career.
He led a race-high 72 laps, but the final 34 were pure torture.
The Great American Getaway 400: A Masterclass in Fuel Saving
You've gotta feel for the guys in the cockpit during those final laps. Briscoe was in a "save or starve" situation. He had enough gas to finish, but barely enough for a burnout. Behind him? Denny Hamlin. Now, Hamlin is basically the king of Pocono. He has seven wins there. If anyone knows how to bait a leader into burning too much fuel or making a mistake in Turn 2, it's him.
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But Briscoe didn't blink. He used what the experts call "throttle finesse." Basically, he was lifting off the gas way before the corners, coasting through the middle of the turns, and only mashing it when he absolutely had to. He crossed the finish line just 0.682 seconds ahead of Hamlin.
- Winner: Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)
- Runner-up: Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)
- Third Place: Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)
- Fourth Place: Chris Buescher (RFK Racing)
- Fifth Place: Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)
Why This Pocono Win Changed Everything
Before this race, people were starting to whisper about Briscoe. It was his first season taking over the legendary No. 19 ride after Martin Truex Jr. retired, and the pressure was, well, immense. He’d been fast all year—honestly, he’d already snatched four poles by that point—but he couldn't quite seal the deal.
Winning at Pocono didn't just give him a trophy. It punched his ticket to the 2025 Playoffs. It turned him from a "fast qualifier" into a "championship threat" overnight.
The Stats You Actually Care About
The race, officially called The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VisitPA.com, was a bit of a marathon. A two-hour rain delay at the start meant the track was green and "slick" early on.
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We saw 11 lead changes among 9 different drivers. There were 7 cautions that ate up 31 laps. That’s a lot of stop-and-go for a 2.5-mile track. For those keeping track of the 2026 season context we're in now, looking back at that June afternoon is a reminder of how much strategy used to dictate these long-track races before the recent 2026 points format overhaul.
What Most People Get Wrong About Pocono
A lot of casual fans think Pocono is boring because it's so big. They're wrong. It's the only track where the three turns are modeled after three different race tracks (Trenton, Indy, and Milwaukee).
If your car is good in Turn 1, it usually sucks in Turn 3. You're always compromising. Ryan Blaney, who won the 2024 race at Pocono, found that out the hard way in 2025. He was fast enough to win, but he started from the back after some unapproved adjustments and just ran out of time to catch the JGR Toyotas.
Looking Ahead: The 2026 Pocono Landscape
As we sit here in early 2026, the NASCAR world is a bit different. We’ve moved back to a "Chase" style format where wins still matter but consistency is king again. Chase Briscoe is no longer the "new guy" at Gibbs; he's a veteran leader.
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If you’re planning on heading to the "Tricky Triangle" this coming summer, the 2026 race is already circled on everyone's calendar. The tickets for the June 14, 2026, event are already moving fast because fans want to see if Briscoe can go back-to-back or if someone like Kyle Larson (who leads the early 2026 points) can finally conquer the triangle again.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Race Weekend:
- Watch the pit strategy: At Pocono, the race is won on the pit wall just as much as on the track. If a crew chief calls for "short-pitting," pay attention—they're trying to leapfrog the field.
- Keep an eye on the No. 19: Briscoe has found a rhythm at these long, flat tracks. He’s a smart bet for a top-5 finish whenever NASCAR visits Pennsylvania.
- Check the weather: Pocono is notorious for pop-up mountain showers. A rain-shortened race is always a possibility here, which can make a win-and-in strategy even more chaotic.
Don't let the long straightaways fool you; Pocono is a mental game. Chase Briscoe won because he was smarter, not just faster, than the 39 other cars on the grid.