Chase Briscoe earns much-needed runner-up finish at New Hampshire

While he likely wanted to finish one spot higher on Sunday, Chase Briscoe should be thrilled with his second-place result in Sunday's USA Today 301. 

Briscoe restarted on the front row on the race's final restart, but a short battle with teammate Josh Berry for second was all it took for race winner Christopher Bell to be just a speck in Briscoe's windshield. 

The second-place finish is Briscoe's best result of the season and his first top-10 finish since Darlington on May 12. 

The fourth-year Cup Series driver sat above the playoff cut line before Sonoma on June 9, but results of 34th and 28th over the last two races dropped Briscoe down to 19th in the playoff standings going into the race weekend at New Hampshire. 

While a victory would've ensured Briscoe a playoff berth come September, Sunday's result proves that the No. 14 team is still capable of putting together good days when they need to. 

While Briscoe only moved up one spot in the playoff standings, he's now only 25 points outside of the postseason, and with a street course in Chicago coming up on July 7, Briscoe could be primed to make a summer push for a playoff spot in his final year with Stewart-Haas Racing. 

With an announcement of Briscoe signing with Joe Gibbs Racing likely coming on Tuesday, Sunday's run is just another reason on a long list of why the 29-year-old has earned his shot with one of the premier teams in the sport. 

Briscoe will look to break into the provisional postseason field after Nashville, where he has finishes of 31st, 34th and 31st in his Cup Series career.