The chase was on at Pocono Raceway on Sunday — and it was Chase Briscoe who came through with his first win of the season in the Great American Getaway 400.

It may not have been the Chase most fans expected going into the weekend, but Briscoe saved just enough fuel and held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to score his first Cup Series win with JGR — and his first at the “Tricky Triangle” — in the No. 19 Toyota.

“Out of anybody you could have behind you here, Denny is the last kind of guy you want because he’s so experienced and so skilled,” Briscoe said. “The biggest thing for me was I didn’t want him to get close enough to where he could make a move on me — especially with how much I was having to lift into the corners. I didn’t want him to be able to drive in deeper. It was definitely surprising how I was able to kind of drive away. I feel like I learned something.”

Fuel mileage often plays a key role at Pocono, and Sunday was no exception. Briscoe made his final pit stop on lap 119, with Hamlin pitting one lap later. Briscoe left his stall a little early, and the No. 19 didn’t get completely full, leaving the team several laps short on fuel.

But a pair of late-race cautions allowed Briscoe and his crew to manage the situation — and hold off Hamlin at the end.

“When we rolled out there and went green, we were nine laps short. It was going to be a mountain to climb,” said No. 19 crew chief James Small. “We’ve lost many races with things not going our way. Thankfully, that caution saved us and put us in a position where we could manage our fuel to the end.

“You’ve seen this happen before. It was the same thing with Denny here in 2022 when he won — later taken away. Worked out for them that day, as well. Just so thankful and proud of everybody on the team.”

HAMLIN RETURNS,

NEARLY WINS

Hamlin missed last week’s race in Mexico City for the birth of his third child but returned to familiar territory Sunday. The JGR veteran — a seven-time Pocono winner — started on the pole and led 30 laps in the first stage.

He closed to within 0.26 seconds of Briscoe with three laps to go, but wasn’t able to mount a final charge.

JGR STRONG AT POCONO

Briscoe’s win marked Joe Gibbs Racing’s 18th Cup Series victory at Pocono Raceway, moving the team into sole possession of second place all-time. Hendrick Motorsports leads with 19.

ELLIOTT REMAINS

CONSISTENT

Chase Elliott continued his steady run with a fifth-place finish Sunday, leading all Chevrolet drivers. It was Elliott’s fifth top-five of the season, and his fourth straight top-10 at Pocono.

Elliott also ran strong in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, finishing fourth in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports entry. He dominated much of the event, but was shuffled back after contact with Justin Allgaier. He rallied for a top-five finish.

SELL-OUT CROWD

For the third consecutive year, Pocono Raceway sold out its infield camping and grandstand seating — including frontstretch seats, premium seating, and suites — for its Cup Series race weekend.