Chase Briscoe found peace amid Talladega chaos to secure Championship 4 bid

"That last restart was truthfully trying to push Bubba to the win," Briscoe said in his post-race news conference. "I did not want William (Byron) to win. If (Kyle) Larson won, that was a best-case scenario out of playoff guys. It was really just trying to push Bubba to the win. I felt like that was going to be the best thing for me."

A push from a Joe Gibbs Racing teammate in Ty Gibbs proved to be in the deciding factor, as Briscoe gapped the pack in the tri-oval on the final lap.

"I don’t know what really happened on the bottom lane, but (I) was able to push Bubba far enough out," Briscoe said. "(I) made a move. The 54 came with me. Ty was the whole reason I won the race. He was extremely committed to me from the get-go. Really did a good job of keeping me up tight to Bubba so I could keep pushing him along.

"When I made a move, Ty went with me. (He) was selfless in the fact that he’s going for his first win, could have easily tried to make a move, did something different. He pushed me to the win. An incredible team effort."

Chase Briscoe meeting the JGR standard

Being in title contention is the expectation at JGR. In his fifth Cup Series season and first with the organization, Briscoe knew a championship run was possible.

"Not surprised," Briscoe said. "I knew it was capable of happening. I knew all the pieces were going to be there. It was just a matter if I could go and perform.

"Glad that I’ve been able to I feel like prove my worth. To be in the Championship 4 is a huge accomplishment itself. We want to win the championship. But to be one of those elite guys is a pretty special feeling."

Briscoe gets to be one of those elite guys because he finally broke through and won at a superspeedway. Drafting tracks have never been Briscoe's specialty, but his first victory in the draft is the reason he'll be racing for a title on Nov. 2. 

"Every time I’ve ever ran a superspeedway race at any level, I’ve just been stressed in a sense of just crashing more than anything," Briscoe said. "I’m just stressed from what can happen.

"Today, even all week, I’ve just had such a peace of whatever happens, happens. God is going to use it for His glory whether I win or run 38th. That was my prayer all throughout this week.

"Even today, I was like, whatever Your plan is, let me be a vessel for that, whether that’s winning, running 38th, whatever it may be."

Even in the chaos of the closing laps at Talladega, that aforementioned peace was the rock that Briscoe stood on. And it was what delivered him to one of the biggest stages in racing. 

"Normally, I would be a nervous wreck," Briscoe said. "I just had a total peace the whole time."

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media unless otherwise noted.