Even though Shane van Gisbergen was a hot favourite to win the road course in Sonoma, Chase Briscoe came quite close to changing things, but eventually had to settle for second. 

Dale Jr. was on the commentary panel for this race, and he does not agree with a comment made by a viewer on social media. A user on X felt that the race totally belonged to SVG and that the race analysts were overhyping Briscoe’s chances of overtaking him. 

The former driver has hit back against the opinion, and he replied, “I enjoy a wide variety of takes, but not this one.” 

This prompted many users to reply, some on Dale Jr.’s side, and others clapping back with their takes. One user commended the former driver on his analysis during the broadcast, saying, “@DaleJr You did your job. Period. Nice work as always.”

Another user on X added that Briscoe was indeed catching up and had every chance of beating him, saying, “Just stop the road course for abit. I thought the 19 was gaining and faster. You’d must have been texting and missed that. There were 2 more closing also, but like SVG said, there's 10-15 guys who can beat him."

Another user on X felt that people are often quick to underestimate the JGR driver, saying that “People underestimate Briscoe every damn time and it’s laughable. Jr knows ball.”

One user disagreed with Dale Jr.’s other take that Carson Hocevar spun out Denny Hamlin in the final stages, saying, “Calling out the 77 for spinning the 11. Bad take. Marty Smith called out the 77 post-show. 48 into the 6. Into the 77. Bk Said he didn’t care.”

Speaking of Hamlin being spun by Hocevar, the JGR driver and 23XI co-founder has also clapped back against a reporter. 

Denny Hamlin: “I know you want a reaction.” 

After he was spun out by the Spire driver on Lap 64, Hamlin fell to the back of the pack and then struggled to regain lost ground. He then had to settle for a 26th-place-finish, as a late pit session took him out of contention for a spot in the Top 10. 

Speaking to Jeff Gluck in a post-race interaction, he was asked how he felt about the whole situation. While he said he had not seen a replay of it at that point, his answer made it pretty clear he wasn’t pleased with the question. 

Hamlin said, "I haven't seen it, Jeff. I know you want a reaction, but I haven't seen it. So when I see it, I'll react to it."

His finish earned him 11 points, which were good enough for him to climb up a spot and dethrone Tyler Reddick as the new championship leader. However, that gap could have been wider had he not pitted in the last few laps. 

Read more at Daytona Racing Digest

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason