BRISCOE RUNNER-UP AT RICHMOND
Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell clinch Chase berths
RICHMOND, Va. (August 15, 2026) – Chase Briscoe delivered his first Richmond top-10 in fine fashion, leading the most laps and finishing second on Saturday evening to lead Toyota. His teammate Denny Hamlin was scored fourth at his home race, while Christopher Bell led the alternate strategy to finish seventh.
Briscoe’s second-place finish continued a unique streak for Team Toyota as a Toyota driver has finished second in every race since May’s All-Star Race at Dover – a run of 13 consecutive races. Briscoe has three of those runner-ups (Dover, Sonoma, Richmond), Bell has six (Charlotte, Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Iowa), while Erik Jones (Michigan), Tyler Reddick (Pocono), Bubba Wallace (San Diego) and Hamlin (North Wilkesboro) have had one each. Team Toyota has finished either first or second in 22 of 24 races this season.
Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell have clinched their Chase berths with two races remaining – giving Toyota a record-tying five drivers in the post-season. Joe Gibbs Racing has all four of their entries in the field for the first time since 2024 with Bell, Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin, while 23XI Racing has Tyler Reddick already clinched, with Bubba Wallace 70 points to the good with two races remaining.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Richmond Raceway
Race 24 of 36 – 300 miles, 400 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Joey Logano*
2nd, CHASE BRISCOE
3rd, Austin Cindric*
4th, DENNY HAMLIN
5th, Chase Elliott*
7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
11th, TYLER REDDICK
15th, TY GIBBS
20th, BUBBA WALLACE
22nd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
24th, RILEY HERBST
27th, ERIK JONES
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What more did you need there at the end?
“I thought I was in a great position, really that whole final run. I had built a lead. I had a three-second lead, but I lost brakes and got really, really loose and let him get all the way back to me and pass me right before we did our final pit stop. Just one bad run, and that was the difference maker. We had him where we needed him, we just didn’t have it that one run. I thought we were going to get a win there for our Bass Pro Shops, TRACKER Boats Toyota, but just close for sure.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
Tell us about coming through the field there late, Denny, for another good run.
“Really, really good Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota that third stage, we just had 10 seconds of extra pit stop there. Our left side jack stop was broke, so couldn’t quite get the jack up under it, so that cost us 10 seconds, and that’s right about where we ended up behind the front. Really good car that last stage, and great to overcome that to come back for a top-five.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
What was going through your mind late?
“I mean, we weren’t really competitive enough to race for the win, but the alternate strategy kind of gave me hope. I thought it was going to be a lot closer than it was, but whenever they got to me with 20 to go or whatever, I was like dang, I thought it was going to be a lot closer to the end of the race, but it didn’t work out that way for this DEWALT Toyota team. On to New Hampshire.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
