Chase Briscoe Wins First-Career NASCAR Xfinity Series Race At The Charlotte ROVAL

CONCORD, N.C. – Chase Briscoe captured the first victory of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career in the inaugural Drive for the Cure 200 Presented By Blue Cross Blue Shield Of North Carolina at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

Briscoe led 33 laps on his way to Victory Lane in the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 98 Ford Performance Ford. He had to hold off Justin Marks in the closing laps. Briscoe led the final 24 laps of the race en route to claiming the win.

“I wasn’t very good at the beginning,” Briscoe said. “I probably wasn’t aggressive enough maintaining track position and I can’t believe I didn’t run off the track, ever. That’s surprising. Normally on a road course I’m way off running 10th on back and this is the one place that I felt drove like a dirt track instead of a road course. I don’t feel like I drove a perfect race, but these guys gave me a perfect race car. That’s what it’s all about. Ford has given me so many opportunities and put me in good race cars and obviously Stewart-Haas is one of the best.”

Marks finished held on to finish in the second position while driving the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet. Marks has declared this will be the final NASCAR Xfinity Series race of his racing career.

Austin Cindric earned the third finishing position on Saturday. Cindric marked the highest finishing position for drivers in the NASCAR Playoffs for the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Ryan Preece and Christopher Bell finished in the fourth and fifth positions on Saturday. Matt Tifft, Cole Custer, Kaz Grala, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Hemric completed the top-10 in finishing order.

The first NASCAR race weekend to ever be held on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL brought new excitement for drivers, teams and fans. With the unknown in front of them, drivers headed into the event cautiously. Many expected a rather chaotic afternoon, but ultimately drivers played it safe and avoided significant issues.

In just 55 laps around the circuit, reaching 200 kilometers, there were five cautions for a total of 10 laps.

Only one caution was for a multi-car incident, and it brought out a full-course caution on lap 35, when six cars collided in Turn 1. Ryan Truex ran high and slapped the outside wall. When he bounced off the wall, he collected Ty Majeski, Michael Annett and others.

Leaving the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Bell continues to be the only driver who is guaranteed to advance in the NASCAR Playoffs. Daniel Hemric (+30), Tyler Reddick (+21), Cole Custer (+14), Matt Tifft (+13), Elliott Sadler (+11), Justin Allgaier (+11) and Ross Chastain (+9) are above the cutline for the Round 8 with one more race to go. Austin Cindric (-9), Ryan Truex (-24), Ryan Reed (-25) and Brandon Jones (-28) are currently below the cutline.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series heads to Dover International Speedway next weekend for the Bar Harbor 200 presented by Sea Watch International on Saturday, October 6. Live coverage will broadcast on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) and the Motor Racing Network (MRN) at 3 p.m. ET.

Photo Credit: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images

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