Chase Briscoe 2026 Report Card: Three Wins, Only a B
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from all 36 races, not opinion. Next up: the number 19, and the most up-and-down season in the top 10.
The Short Version
Chase Briscoe's 2026 season had three wins, 701 laps led and back-to-back victories in the middle of the Chase. It also had eight DNFs, 2nd most among the 35 full-time drivers. He finished 6th in the standings, 115 points behind Kyle Larson, and his title hopes ended at Martinsville before an engine failure from the pole at Homestead. Add it all up and his computed season grade is a B, 14th of 35. Few drivers had a wider gap between their best days and their worst.
Why the Chase Briscoe 2026 Grade Is a B
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Briscoe's season score ranked 14th of 35, which lands at B. Nine full-time drivers with fewer wins graded out higher, including two who never won a race. The reason is the DNF penalty and where those DNFs left him. Six of his races ended 34th or worse, and the formula weighs every race the same.
On days the number 19 finished, it was usually a contender. He had 13 top 5s and 18 top 10s.
Chase Briscoe by the Numbers
Here is where Briscoe ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
This card splits right down the middle. On speed, Briscoe was a top-six driver: 4th in wins (3), 4th in percentage of laps in the top 15, 5th in average running position (12.4), 5th in top 5s, 6th in laps led and 6th in average driver rating (93.6).
On consistency, he was near the bottom. He ranked 32nd in average positions gained at -3.1 per race, 34th in DNFs and 34th in finish spread. His average running position was 12.4, but his average finish was 15.1. That gap is the whole season.
A Regular Season Full of Wrecks
The trouble started early. In the first four races Briscoe finished 36th at Daytona, 2nd at Atlanta, 37th at COTA with a transaxle failure and 37th at Phoenix after a crash. He added crashes at Charlotte in May and Atlanta in July.
In between he showed real speed. He was 2nd at Sonoma, and he won at Chicagoland on July 5 after leading 51 laps. At Richmond in August he led 171 laps and finished 2nd. His regular-season average finish was 14.6.
Two Straight Wins, Then It Fell Apart
The Chase started rough with a crash at WWT Raceway and a 27th at Bristol. Then Briscoe got hot:
- Las Vegas, Oct. 4: RACER reported he swept all three stages, led 175 laps and held off a late charge from Larson. His highest driver rating of the year at 147.0.
- Charlotte, Oct. 11: beat teammate Christopher Bell to the line by 0.029 seconds, the closest finish of the season. It was the 8th Cup win of his career and moved him to 4th in the Chase.
Two weeks later he started on the pole at Talladega and crashed out, 33rd. A 14th at Martinsville ended his title hopes. At Homestead he won the pole at 166.687 mph and led 33 laps, then the engine let go on lap 78. Briscoe said he first thought it was a tire coming apart. He finished 39th, and Joe Gibbs Racing said it was investigating.
What 2027 Looks Like
No change has been announced for the number 19. Briscoe is expected back on the multiyear deal he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024, and James Small was his crew chief for all 36 races in 2026. Every move for next year is on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The 2027 Daytona 500 is Feb. 21. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide, and every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
Briscoe had the speed of an A driver and the finishes of a C driver, and the B sits right between them. Cut the DNFs in half and the number 19 is a title threat in 2027.
Chase Briscoe Gear
- Chase Briscoe 2026 Vegas Hooked the Win T-Shirt
- Chase Briscoe 2026 Chicagoland Win T-Shirt
- Chase Briscoe 2026 Cup Series Race Schedule T-Shirt
- Chase Briscoe 2026 Bass Pro Shops Barbed Wire Hoodie
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; Las Vegas details via RACER; Charlotte details via NASCAR.com; Homestead pole and engine failure via NASCAR.com and EssentiallySports; final standings via NBC Sports.
