BRISCOE GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN THRILLING CHARLOTTE FINISH
Chase Briscoe wins back-to-back races for the first time in his career
CONCORD, N.C. (October 11, 2026) – Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell battled to the line with the Indiana-native coming on top by mere inches to win consecutive races for the first time in his Cup Series career. Briscoe took the lead on the final pit stop and drove away on the final restart. With a tire going down, he battled through it in the final laps to hold off his teammate, Bell, at the line.
Joe Gibbs Racing had a strong day with Briscoe, Bell and Denny Hamlin (fifth) finishing in top-five, while Tyler Reddick was scored in eighth. Toyota Development Driver Corey Heim drove from 37th starting position to 11that the finish.
For Toyota, it was the 17th victory of the season, which is the second-most victories in a single season (19 – 2019). Toyota looks to clinch its fourth Manufacturers’ title, and first since 2019, in Phoenix.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race 32 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, CHASE BRISCOE
2nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
3rd, Ryan Blaney*
4th, Josh Berry*
5th, DENNY HAMLIN
8th, TYLER REDDICK
11th, COREY HEIM
18th, RILEY HERBST
24th, ERIK JONES
34th, TY GIBBS
35th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
37th, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Freebird Spring Water Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
How special is this victory today?
“Very, very special. I think this is only the second ever time that all of us have been at a win. Super special to be able to experience these type of things with family. It is awesome when you win, but they are on the grind with us and for them to be here and experience this is memories that will be forever for me. Really cool day to get to victory lane with them here, my grandparents are here and I don’t think they have been to a race since 2019. Really cool just to have everyone here. Really cool to be here at home – a lot of our crew guys, their families are here – pit crew guys families are here. There is just a lot of pride winning here, amazing day. Super cool to get Free Bird in victory lane. They’ve only done three races so to get them in victory lane on the third time – I’m pretty thankful. This Camry looked great out there.”
How close did the end feel?
“Yeah, when Christopher (Bell) got into me off of (turn) four, I kind of got sideways, and I thought I was going to wreck. I’m like I am going to get beat to the line, so I assume he got really sideways too. My right front was coming apart. Another lap I thought we were going to blow a right front tire. I’m glad that we won, but I wish they weren’t so stressful. I don’t have very much hair to begin with, but I’m definitely losing it really quickly. Just an awesome day and really cool to end up in victory lane.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
How do you come to terms with how that race finished then?
“I got a lot closer than I thought I was going to.”
Is this the missed opportunity you guys needed to go for the title, or will you have opportunities as we head to Phoenix and beyond?
“I mean, we should be really good at the next couple of races. Yeah, hopefully we can keep bringing these fast race cars and see what happens.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Progressive Insurance Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
What were you fighting with the race car at the end?
“Just the long run speed and obviously tanked there the last 15 laps or so. Just didn’t have the long run speed that we needed. I thought the short run was okay. It was decent. But I felt like we were a lot better when it was daytime, and then once it cooled off and the track got a little bit faster, we just lost the edge that we had.”
What was going on with your placement of the car in the pit stall?
“Just putting on the sign there. Not really sure, but I feel like just I wish we would have qualified. I certainly felt like we could have got a little better pit selection there and wouldn’t have had the 88. But they worked with us the whole race, Connor (Zilisch) and his team pitted the second time by a couple times. I appreciate that. Yeah, we’ve got to pick up the performance.”
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Hardee’s Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 37th
What happened from your perspective? Was there any warning?
“No warning. I saw it in the last second – the 48 (Alex Bowman) come up and clip us. No hard feelings, that is just racing. I was starting to drop, and it gets into a tight spot. To get on pit road smooth, we wanted to stay in front of him. He just got loose and got us. The first hit wiped our brakes out. The second hit got me good. But we are good. Still got nine fingers and nine toes (laughter), so we are fine.”
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.
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