LAS VEGAS – A power play on the initial start of Saturday evening’s Las Vegas 350 allowed playoff contender Chase Briscoe to drive to his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series stage win of the season.
Briscoe overhauled polesitter Ryan Truex in the first corner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and never looked back, leading all 35 laps to score 10 bonus points towards his playoff run, as well as an additional playoff point, should he advance to the Round of 6.
The Mitchell, Indiana native entered Saturday’s race below the elimination line, seventh in the standings.
Briscoe said after pit stops that while winning a stage was important, managing the changing track would be even more critical.
“It’s a tough situation because the sun is going to be hitting three and four for not the entire duration of the race,” Briscoe explained. “I feel like we’re pretty good, so we didn’t take too big of a swing at it … but hopefully we’ll make the right decisions and hopefully we can get to victory lane.”
A wild start saw Truex swallowed up in the middle of a three-wide mess before two corners were even in the books, with Chase Briscoe coming out with the lead before Myatt Snider went spinning down the backstretch, slamming the inside and outside walls to bring out the first caution of the race.
Briscoe was able to hold the field at bay when the green flag flew again on lap seven, turning back every challenge Johnny Sauter could muster over the remaining laps en route to the stage win.
Sauter came home 1.285 seconds adrift of Briscoe at the green-checkered flag, with points leader Christopher Bell following the defending series champion across the line in the third position.
Truex faded to fourth ahead of Matt Crafton.
Ben Rhodes, Kaz Grala, Austin Cindric, Stewart Friesen and Noah Gragson completed the points-scoring drivers in the top 10 at the first stage break.
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.
Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 23-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
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