Chase Briscoe’s future in the playoffs remained totally up in the air as two late cautions turned a relatively calm road course event into chaos.
As the race went into a two-lap overtime, Briscoe wasn’t in contention to win but mathematically still had a chance to advance in the series playoffs on points but he would likely need some help.
Briscoe ended up getting some as Austin Cindric, who was also in contention for the final transfer spot, spun out in front of him and Briscoe passed both Austin Dillon and Erik Jones entering the backstretch chicane for position.
Briscoe, who had restarted the overtime outside the top-20, rallied to a ninth-place finish which left him in the eighth and final playoff spot, two points ahead of reigning champion Kyle Larson.
“What a wild day. I told my guys before we took the initial green in the race, there’s a difference between thinking we could move on and knowing we could move on,” Briscoe said. “This team never gives up. I told them I was never going to give up.
“It took every bit of it there at the end. To be easily in (early in the race), then that debris caution comes out. Still, I thought we had a really good shot of making it in. Get wrecked on the backstretch. Crazy at the end of these races, especially the road course race, how much can change so quickly.”
Briscoe said as the race drew to a close he believed he was probably not going to finish high enough to advance but then saw Cindric spin out.
“I thought then maybe there’s still a chance,” he said. “We had so much fresher tires than anybody. Johnny (Klausmeier, crew chief) pumped them way up to qualifying pressures, let me go attack, have the ball in my hands.”
A late-race decision to pit for new tires is also what helped Christopher Bell run down Kevin Harvick on the final restart for the win. A lack of cautions during much of the race had shoved tire strategy to the wayside most of the day.
The semifinal round opens next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and is followed by races at Homestead, Fla., and Martinsville, Va.
Briscoe, who won earlier this season at Phoenix which is site of the championship race, feels confident about the next round.
“Looking forward to the Round of 8. A lot of really, really good race tracks for me,” Briscoe said. “If we can get to Phoenix, we know we got a good car there, too.”
However, NASCAR is now looking into Briscoe’s teammate Cole Custer and his actions on the last lap.
“NASCAR is reviewing data, video and radio transmissions from the 41 car following its incident on the backstretch during the final lap. NASCAR will communicate the results of the review early this week. Any potential penalties would not affect the Round of 8 field.”