With just one race left before the Championship 4 is set, the NASCAR playoff tension couldn’t be higher. Two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, have already locked their spots for Phoenix, while teammate Christopher Bell sits right on the bubble in third. Kyle Larson holds the final provisional spot for Hendrick Motorsports. However, the looming threat comes from Team Penske, whose drivers, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, sit in sixth and seventh.

Despite being on the outside looking in, Penske’s track record at Phoenix makes everyone nervous, and for good reason. The team has dominated the finale for three straight years. Now, as the field braces for Martinsville, Briscoe isn’t holding back on how he really feels about seeing those Penske cars make it to Phoenix.

Chase Briscoe doesn’t want a Team Penske car at Phoenix

As the NASCAR playoffs intensify, Team Penske faces its toughest uphill battle yet. Both Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney sit with -38 and -47 points heading into Martinsville, making their path to Phoenix nearly impossible without a win. Despite their past dominance, the 2025 postseason has exposed weaknesses across Penske’s No. 12 and No. 22 Fords, leaving them scrambling for survival.

Yet, while most fans might count on a dramatic comeback, Chase Briscoe doesn’t want to see that happen. Not for Penske, not this year. “We have them in a really good spot right now, right? Where they have to go to Martinsville and win,” Briscoe admitted on the Dale Jr. Download podcast.

Chase Briscoe’s reasoning stems from pure logic mixed with recent history. “I think it’s no secret that, you know, the last three years they went to Phoenix and just dominated. Nobody could even run with them. So, I mean, yeah, from a personal standpoint, I do not want a Penske car to go there,” he admitted candidly. And he’s got the stats to back it up.

Penske’s recent streak at Phoenix has been astonishing! Joey Logano secured the 2022 Championship with a decisive victory, while teammate Ryan Blaney captured the title in 2023. Logano again won the championship in 2024 with a win, giving Team Penske three straight championships. Moreover, in all three editions, Ryan Blaney came a close second to the race winners, showcasing his mastery. The stats highlight their unrivaled mastery of the desert mile.

With Phoenix once again serving as the season finale, Briscoe and the Joe Gibbs Racing contingent know that keeping Penske out of the Championship 4 could be the only way to dethrone the sport’s most dominant team on its favorite stage. For Briscoe, it’s not animosity. Rather, it’s basic survival. Because if Team Penske drivers are there at Phoenix (either one or both), the other cars are just racing for second place.

However, before the final race, there is Martinsville.

Chase Briscoe worried about Martinsville

The playoff battle now shifts to Martinsville Speedway, where the 2025 Xfinity 500 looms as the penultimate and most pivotal race of the season. Set for October 26, this event will determine the final two slots in the Championship 4 as competitors battle over 500 laps around the half-mile paperclip oval.

While Chase Briscoe has his Phoenix ticket secured, his focus lies on who joins him, and he’s obviously wary of a familiar foe – Team Penske drivers. “They have to go to Martinsville and win. The problem is they’re really, really fast there, too,” Briscoe admitted.

Penske’s Martinsville record supports his concern. Blaney, the defending Xfinity 500 winner, has two wins, six top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 4.6 in the Next-Gen car at the track. Logano, historically one of the best short-track drivers, owns 3 top-five finishes and an average finish of 5.6 in the Next-Gen era.

Both drivers enter the weekend in must-win situations. However, a victory for either (which is highly possible, given their stats) could seal a return to Phoenix and keep Penske’s championship streak alive.

Briscoe, however, sees a different ideal scenario for his Joe Gibbs Racing camp. “The best thing that can happen for really JGR as a whole is me going or Denny going or, you know, Christopher obviously going there and winning the race because that would mean that a Penske car does not move on.”

Currently, Christopher Bell holds third in points at +37, meaning he can clinch a spot with a solid points day or win. Bell, who finished second at Martinsville this spring and owns a career victory at the track in the Next-Gen era, enters as a major threat. As the series roars toward the Martinsville showdown, every lap will define who earns a ticket to Phoenix and who goes home.

Can Briscoe and his JGR teammates hold the line and block Penske’s run, or will Blaney and Logano rewrite the playoff story with a clutch Martinsville win that changes everything? It’s just a matter of days before we find out.