Chase Briscoe crew chief James Small ‘shocked’ No. 19 didn’t run out of fuel in Pocono win

Chase Briscoe seemed to be short on fuel after making the mistake of leaving hit pit-box early during the final stage of this past weekend’s race at Pocono. However, he saved just enough to make it to the end, holding off Denny Hamlin and winning his first race of the season in Pennsylvania.

He didn’t just shock the audience with how much fuel he saved, as Briscoe’s crew chief James Small couldn’t believe it either. According to Kelly Crandall of RACER, Small stated that when when Briscoe left pit road, if the race went green to the finish they would have been nine laps short: “I was shocked that we made it, to be honest,” he said.

It would’ve been heartbreaking to see Briscoe run out of fuel from the lead. Instead, the No. 19 Toyota made it all the way home, locking himself into the playoffs in the process. The team has shown they’re capable all season long, and they were finally able to finish the job at Pocono.

“It was a lot [of pressure holding off Hamlin]. It was kind of weird,” Briscoe told Marty Snider of Prime Video following the win. “Like, I wasn’t driving hard, it’s not like I was on the ragged edge, but it was so hard to have a guy chasing you, especially the guy that’s probably the greatest of all-time here and to be trying to save fuel and everything else. 

“… Amazing day for our race team. This was the first race we kind of executed all year long. To get Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops in Victory Lane, Toyota in Victory Lane, Joe Gibbs Racing — they took a big chance on me. I wasn’t everybody’s first choice, I think, but for me to get here and finally deliver a win is just an awesome feeling.”

In the process, Briscoe led a race-high 72 laps, but this was not easy by any means. Still, the win was a landmark moment for him. Entering Sunday’s race, 11 different drivers had won driving for JGR. The team had tallied 220 victories in Cup competition. Briscoe is No. 12, and this is the 221st Cup victory for JGR. 

“It’s huge,” Briscoe added. “I literally grew up racing my sprint car video game in a Joe Gibbs Racing Home Depot uniform. To be able to get Coach [Gibbs] to Victory Lane after them taking a chance on me — it’s so rewarding, truthfully. Such a big weight off my shoulders.”

Now, it’s up to Chase Briscoe to continue stacking wins over the course of the summer. Perhaps the floodgates will open, as his victory at Pocono could signal a sign of what’s to come for the No. 19 team.

— On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this article.