If there is one driver that has impressed the most so far in the NASCAR Cup Series season, it has to be Chase Briscoe. Fourteen races into the season, he’s already bagged five top-5 finishes and is sitting comfortably in the 11th position in point standings. Not just that, he has now even broken a next-gen record.
Briscoe’s been in form since last season. Remember how he won the regular-season finale at Darlington, keeping Kyle Busch at bay? Thanks to him, the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing team got a final playoff appearance and a shot at the championship. The Indiana native continued that form in 2025, winning a pole start in the iconic Daytona 500.
Speaking of which, the year’s been full of pole starts for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. At the upcoming Michigan International Speedway race, he’s bagged his fourth for the year and the third consecutive one. It won’t be wrong to say that he’s done it in style in Michigan, beating his own teammate’s record.
Chase Briscoe Becomes the Fastest Driver in the Next-Gen Era To Get a Pole
First, he got the pole start at Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600, then he repeated the same at the Nashville Superspeedway race. Now, also, getting a P1 at Michigan has completed the hat trick for Briscoe, where he’s broken Christopher Bell’s record.
Until now, Bell was the fastest driver at a qualifying event since the next-gen car debuted in 2022. Coincidentally, it was also in Michigan where Bell achieved the feat. If you recall, the No. 20 driver clocked a speed of 193.382 mph in the 2023 race. But this season, Briscoe won the pole there at a speed of 195.514 mph, which is commendable.
Chase Briscoe wins the pole at Michigan with a speed of 195.514 mph.
This is the fastest pole speed in the NASCAR Cup Series since Ryan Blaney ran 200.505 mph at Texas in November 2018
Here are the fastest poles in the NextGen Era: pic.twitter.com/NZpuogI7Um
— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) June 7, 2025
The JGR driver now hopes to convert this pole into a checkered flag. Thus far, out of his four poles, he hasn’t been able to convert even one, finishing fourth in the Daytona 500, third in Charlotte, and then 17th in the recent Nashville race. Even Briscoe’s hoping that Michigan will be where he gets his first win for the season.
In the post-qualifying interview, he said, “We’ve been able to do that three weeks in a row and we haven’t really been able to execute with it, so hopefully you know, third time’s the charm and hopefully we can finally get one on Sunday.”
However, getting a win at Michigan isn’t going to be easy for Briscoe. He’s run the track four times in the past and has only once finished in the top 15.
To add to the challenge, yet again, it’s going to be Rowdy on his tail, who’s got a P2 start to the race. Busch has been struggling with a long winless streak, extending over 70 races now. Surely, he’ll be desperate to get into the victory lane, too, at Michigan.
Hopefully for NASCAR fans, it all adds up to a thrilling FireKeepers Casino 400.