Briscoe settles for fourth after gritty duel with Larson for Kansas win
Sean Gardner | Getty Images
Chase Briscoe went toe-to-toe with a dominant Kyle Larson in the closing laps of Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway -- the fourth race in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase presented by Mobil 1.
However, the driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota settled for fourth place at the 1.5-mile oval after losing the lead to Larson with seven laps to go.
RELATED: Unofficial results | At-track photos: Kansas
Briscoe was the biggest challenge to Larson's historic triumph as the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet scored the maximum 76 points Sunday, which includes sweeping the first two stages and earning a point for the Xfinity Fastest Lap in the 267-lap event.
The two drivers were on top of each other on the final green-flag cycle, with Larson just ahead of Briscoe. Larson beat Briscoe off pit road and looked to run away without much challenge to the checkered flag. But Larson struggled in traffic with the lead, allowing Briscoe to reel in the No. 5, and he passed Larson with 30 laps to go.
The same struggles in lapped traffic plagued Briscoe's chances to win, and when Larson got around Briscoe, the Indiana native hit the wall multiple times in the final laps and fell behind both a hard-charging Austin Cindric and JGR teammate Denny Hamlin, who beat Briscoe to the line by 0.037 seconds for third.
Briscoe unofficially leaves Kansas ninth in points with a 123-point deficit to Larson.
"Just went really, really loose," Briscoe said after the race. "I kind of had that the run before when we did the green-flag pit stop. I got it in the wall so many times that I had a little bit of a leak. Just went really, really free ultimately. It was better for me to be in second. Just being behind him (Larson), especially with how much he (was) aero blocking, it would just tighten me up and allow me to actually be a little bit better. And then as soon as I would get the lead, I would just go really, really free again.
"I don't know, it's still possible, but you're going to have to win five or so of the next six races," Briscoe said of his title hopes. "Yeah, a little Tony Stewart 2011 run or something."
This story will be updated.
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