Chase Briscoe takes the pole position in the Coca-Cola 600
Chase Briscoe captured the pole position on Saturday for the Coca-Cola 600, securing a spot on the front row for NASCAR’s longest and most demanding race. Briscoe, driving the No. 19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, clocked a time of 182.852 mph on the 1 1/2-mile oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The battle for the first position was close, with Kyle Larson, who is scheduled to arrive at the circuit approximately one hour before Sunday night’s race after competing in the Indianapolis 500, securing a spot alongside Briscoe.
Briscoe, with four top-five finishes in the Cup Series this year, is seeking his first win of the season. Previously, he secured the pole position at this year’s Daytona 500.“It’s going to be great to start up front. Adding that No. 1 pit stall, and being able to run in clean air is huge.”
Chase Briscoe
William Byron, who recently signed a four-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports, will start from third position, followed by Chris Buescher and AJ Allmendinger. Rounding out the top ten will be John Nemechek, Ty Gibbs, Noah Gragson, Alex Bowman, and the defending race champion, Christopher Bell. Briscoe is aware that the pole position in the Coca-Cola 600 does not guarantee success, especially in such an extensive race. Larson won from the pole in 2021, but before that, the last driver to achieve it was Jeff Gordon in 1998. Bell, who won last year’s race, shortened by rain, will seek to prove that his victory was no fluke.“It’s pretty wild, really. I never thought I’d get to run a Truck Series race, let alone lead the way in two crown jewel events.”
Chase Briscoe
“Certainly, it has bothered me that people call it an asterisk win, so I would love to win this race like the Coca-Cola 600 and run the full 600 miles. We should be very competitive. In recent years, this has been one of our best intermediate tracks, as far as the 20 group is concerned, so I look forward to the challenge.”
Christopher Bell
Last year, fans booed after waiting through a long rain delay, only for NASCAR to announce in the early morning hours that the race could not be completed due to the inability to dry the track.
“I want to be a winner of the 600 miles and not be booed when entering the victory lane.”
Christopher Bell
A key aspect to follow on Sunday will be the track’s reaction in turns 3 and 4, where the drivers have repeatedly pointed out the irregularities.
“It’s definitely tough down there. It changes a little bit from year to year.”
Chase Briscoe
Jimmie Johnson, in his 700th start in the Cup Series, will start in 37th place, seeking to equal Darrell Waltrip in the number of victories in the Coca-Cola 600, with five. Despite his success in the CMS, where he has also won the Bank of America 400 four times and the All-Star race four times, Johnson is considered a competitor with little chance.
“I love endurance events and this is our marathon. As a kid, watching this before being here competing, I was always intrigued by a 600-mile race. The cars back then had a hard time making it. The drivers too. It’s a long event. I think it’s a little tougher on the party-loving fans in the infield to go the extra 100 miles.”
Jimmie Johnson
