JOLIET, Ill. — Chase Briscoe secured his first NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2026 season on July 5 at Chicagoland Speedway, ending a 20-race winless streak and highlighting Toyota’s continued dominance in the series. Briscoe, 31, held off teammate Christopher Bell by 0.276 seconds to claim the top spot, with fellow Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin finishing third. The result marked a one-two-three sweep for team owner Joe Gibbs and underscored Toyota’s strength, as the manufacturer placed seven cars in the top 10 and has now won 12 of the first 19 races this season.
Briscoe’s triumph followed a strong runner-up finish at Sonoma Raceway in California and came after a challenging start to the season despite his speed matching that of leading Toyota drivers like Hamlin and Tyler Reddick. “It was definitely burning me up not winning, more than ever before, especially just knowing that our cars are really fast,” Briscoe said. He added that the pressure of competing alongside teammates who have been successful made the wait for a victory particularly difficult. Briscoe won three races in 2025 and finished third in the championship that year.
Bell, who raced with a soft cast on his broken left wrist, challenged Briscoe in the closing stages but was unable to pass, finishing second. Bell overcame early adversity when his car sustained contact on pit road during his second pit stop, but his crew’s swift repairs helped keep him in contention. “They made a great adjustment and got the car driving great the last run,” Bell said. “We almost went to victory lane. Toyotas are fast.”
The race was highly competitive, featuring 28 lead changes among 13 drivers. William Byron, a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver, led the most laps—94 of 267—and finished fourth after winning the first two stages. His teammate Alex Bowman came in fifth. The decisive move occurred during the final pit stop cycle when Briscoe pitted a lap earlier than Byron, allowing him to leap from third to first.
Crew chief James Small emphasized the importance of strategy in the race’s outcome, noting that managing green flag pit stops adds a critical and exciting dimension to race calls. Briscoe described the final laps as a “super intense battle,” expressing respect for Bell’s clean and competitive driving.
Toyota’s success this season has been spearheaded by Tyler Reddick, who leads the series with five victories, followed by Hamlin with four. Briscoe’s win not only extends Toyota’s impressive run but also reinforces the manufacturer’s position at the forefront of the NASCAR Cup Series this year.