After just two more regular-season races in New Hampshire and Daytona, the top 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series standings will be locked into the Chase. The gap in points between them, however, will be small after the reset.

RICHMOND, Va. -- Chase Briscoe had seemingly done everything right Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, leading laps by the dozens and keeping the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field at bay at a track that had been one of his tallest hurdles.

“It was a good night,” Briscoe said after finishing second. “This has been a huge struggle for me, so to be competitive and race with guys that I’ve watched win races [here] and battle up front – that was a huge confidence booster and a testament to James [Small] and the engineers with all the work they’ve put in with me trying to get better here.

He has six top-six finishes over the last seven races, only finishing outside of the top six during that span after a crash at Atlanta.

The NASCAR Cup Series field is tightening with just two races remaining before The Chase returns in September. See how battles shape up.

NASCAR has a new playoff system in 2026. It’s back to The Chase. Instead of win-and-in, it’s the top-16 drivers in the regular-season standings that will make the 10-race Chase, which will be a mini-season of its own with no eliminations.

Chase Briscoe had never finished top 10 at Richmond in nine starts. Saturday night, he qualified second, led more laps than anyone, and had a three-second cushion with 39 laps left.

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Chase Briscoe says losing his brakes during a late run cost him the advantage he needed to challenge Joey Logano for the NASCAR Cup Series win at Richmond Raceway.