It was a historic day for Chase Briscoe at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. The 25-year-old driver secured the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale, becoming the first driver to do so in his first full-time season in the series.
Briscoe, who drives for Stewart-Haas Racing, put down a lap of 48.912 seconds at 195.945 mph to take the pole. He was followed by Ryan Blaney, who posted a lap of 48.919 seconds at 195.890 mph.
Briscoe’s pole position marks a major milestone for the young driver. He had previously earned two poles in the Xfinity Series, but this is his first pole in the Cup Series. It’s also the first pole for Stewart-Haas Racing since Aric Almirola won the pole at Talladega in October 2018.
The pole position is a great accomplishment for Briscoe, who has had an impressive rookie season. He currently sits sixth in the points standings and has earned four top-five finishes and 11 top-10 finishes. He also has three stage wins and two playoff points.
Briscoe will now have the opportunity to compete for the win in Sunday’s race. He’ll be joined on the front row by Blaney, who is looking to secure his first win of the season. Behind them will be Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr., who are all looking to lock up their spots in the playoffs with a strong finish on Sunday.
It’s sure to be an exciting race as drivers battle for the win and a spot in the playoffs. But no matter what happens, Chase Briscoe will always have the distinction of being the first driver to earn the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale at Daytona.
