Briscoe Takes Pole for NASCAR Cup Championship Race

Chase Briscoe secured pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series season finale with a lap of 32.396 seconds at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 7. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver reached 166.687 mph in his Toyota, despite having been eliminated from championship contention the previous weekend.

Briscoe’s teammate Denny Hamlin qualified second, just 0.017 seconds behind. Tyler Reddick was third in a Toyota repaired after a crash at the end of Friday’s practice. Austin Cindric took fifth, while Christopher Bell, another title contender, qualified sixth.

Kyle Larson, seeking a second straight Cup championship, will start fourth in his Chevrolet. He has a 67-point lead over Bell and needs nine points to clinch the title, according to the championship standings entering Sunday’s race. Hamlin is also still in contention, though he trails Larson by 70 points.

Larson had brushed the wall during practice and voiced concerns about his car’s balance. After qualifying, he said he did not feel substantially better than he had during practice, but remained confident he could compete for the win. He has won twice and recorded six top-five results over 12 races at Homestead.

Brad Keselowski will start 40th after spinning into the inside wall during qualifying. His team was making repairs to the car at the track. The race is scheduled for Sunday.