Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 12

Alex Bowman Overcorrects Into Bubba Wallace in Violent Charlotte Wreck as Briscoe Wins by 0.002 Seconds

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 12

Alex Bowman Overcorrects Into Bubba Wallace in Violent Charlotte Wreck as Briscoe Wins by 0.002 Seconds

Q: After a massive 58-point drop in just two races, is Kyle Larson's championship lead on the verge of total collapse?

No — Kyle Larson’s lead has tightened sharply, but it is not on the verge of a total collapse yet. The drop is real: Larson’s advantage has fallen from 123 points to 65 over the last two races, largely because Chase Briscoe has gone back-to-back and Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin have stayed close enough to keep pressure on him. That makes the title race meaningfully more competitive with four races left. But Larson still holds the strongest position. At Charlotte, he finished sixth, won Stage 1, and kept himself from having a disastrous points day. He remains 49 points clear of Hamlin, 51 ahead of Bell, and 65 up on Briscoe. In practical terms, that is still a healthy cushion in a format now rewarding consistency over a single win. The bigger warning sign is momentum, not mathematics. Briscoe has become the hottest driver in the field, Bell nearly stole Charlotte, and Hamlin is still within striking distance. If Larson has one bad race at a volatile track such as Talladega, the gap could shrink quickly. That is why the recent 58-point swing matters. Still, “total collapse” overstates it. Larson has been steady, and the remaining schedule also includes tracks where he and Hendrick Motorsports can score well, including Phoenix and Homestead-Miami. Unless he suffers a major stumble, he remains the favorite. The lead is under pressure, but it is not yet in free fall.

Q: With a suspected failing tire, how did Briscoe manage to secure a historic 0.029-second photo finish victory?

Briscoe won by managing the damaged tire just long enough to keep track position, then surviving contact with Bell in the final corner. He said the right-front began “coming apart” with about five or six laps left, especially once he reached lapped traffic. The car stopped turning properly, a classic sign the tire was fading, and Briscoe believed another lap might have caused a blowout. From there, his job changed from attacking to protecting: he kept the car high, tried not to overload the front end, and focused on getting off the corners cleanly. That track position was critical. Briscoe had taken control of the final run after his pit crew got him out front on the last key caution, and he led the closing 57 to 61 laps, depending on the count cited. Even as Bell erased a gap of more than a second on the last lap, Briscoe still had the preferred lane and clean air at the right moment. In Turns 3 and 4, Bell dove low while Briscoe stayed outside. The two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates made contact exiting Turn 4, and Briscoe said he got sideways and thought he might crash. Bell was unsettled too, and that likely kept him from completing the pass. Both cars held together just enough for a drag race to the stripe. So the victory came from a combination of tire management, maintaining the lead through the final restart cycle, and keeping control after door-banging in the last corner. That was enough for Briscoe to win by 0.029 seconds, the second-closest finish in Charlotte history.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 12

Alex Bowman said he "overcorrected" and caused a hard crash with Bubba Wallace during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Charlotte, taking full responsibility for the wreck.
The hit stood out even in a race filled with action, with the column describing it as a surprisingly violent impact that caught observers off guard.
Charlotte still delivered a needed boost for the series when Chase Briscoe edged Christopher Bell by 0.002 seconds in the second-closest finish in track history.
Briscoe’s back-to-back wins cut Kyle Larson’s championship lead to 65 points, while Larson’s sixth-place finish left him 49 ahead of Denny Hamlin with four races remaining.