Chase Briscoe claimed the pole position at Iowa Speedway with a lap time of 23.004 seconds, marking his sixth pole since joining Joe Gibbs Racing. This latest achievement extends the team’s strong qualifying performance, as Briscoe edged out William Byron and his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet by 0.084 seconds during the session.
Strong Qualifying Streak Continues for Briscoe
Briscoe has demonstrated consistent speed in recent weeks, earning three front-row starts in the past three races. Despite only one win this season at Pocono—where he started from sixth—he has captured the pole for all of NASCAR’s crown jewel events so far, including the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Brickyard 400 just a week ago.
Briscoe’s Reflections on the Pole Run
Speaking about his performance, Briscoe noted the team’s efforts and felt the car was a bit tight early in the lap.
“It’s definitely been great on Saturdays for our Bass Pro Shops Toyota,”
he said.
“Would love to convert that to Sundays. We’ve been fast on Sundays too, just haven’t been able to come out on top yet. James [Small, crew chief] (and) the entire group do such a good job on this thing to get it better … I did not think that was going to hold. I was just a little too tight. I felt like I gave up a lot of time in (Turn) one and two. I knew my (Turn) three and four were good, but I didn’t think it would be enough. Really cool to get another pole.”
—Chase Briscoe
Other Notable Qualifying Positions at Iowa Speedway
Kyle Larson qualified third, followed by Austin Cindric in fourth, and Brad Keselowski in fifth. The top ten was rounded out by Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar, Chase Elliott, A.J. Allmendinger, and Justin Haley. Despite Briscoe’s pole, his closest Joe Gibbs Racing teammate on the grid was Denny Hamlin, who qualified 11th. Christopher Bell started 17th, while Ty Gibbs placed 20th.
Challenges Faced by Other Drivers
Several drivers struggled with the bumps around the short track, but the session concluded without incidents. However, practice earlier in the day proved more difficult for Kyle Busch, who crashed heavily. Due to the damage, Busch’s team, Richard Childress Racing, had to switch to a backup car. As a result, Busch did not participate in qualifying and will start in 37th position, the last on the grid.
Drivers Deeper in the Starting Order and Playoff Implications
Some prominent drivers started further back, including Tyler Reddick in 22nd, Daniel Suarez in 26th, Chris Buescher in 27th, Ross Chastain in 28th, and Ryan Preece in 33rd. Buescher and Preece, both teammates at RFK Racing, are currently separated by 42 points, contesting for the final playoff spot as the season progresses.
What This Means for Joe Gibbs Racing and the Season
Chase Briscoe’s continued success in qualifying secures a strong starting position heading into the race at Iowa Speedway, reinforcing Joe Gibbs Racing’s dominance in setting the pace during NASCAR qualifying sessions. With multiple drivers inside the top 20, the team is well positioned to capitalize on race day, aiming to convert their qualifying speed into more wins in the upcoming races this season.
