Briscoe has momentum, but Larson holds commanding lead in NASCAR playoffs entering Phoenix race

Chase Briscoe's back-to-back wins have put him in the mix for the NASCAR Cup Series championship

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Back-to-back wins have vaulted Chase Briscoe into contention for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

But it remains to be seen if anyone can catch up to the steady excellence of Kyle Larson as the “Chase” heads to Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.

Larson, who is looking for his third championship overall, leads regular-season champion Hamlin by 49 points with four races remaining. His average finish of 2.83 is the best pace over the first six postseason races since the Chase was introduced in 2004 and he already has two postseason victories and two second-place finishes.

Now Larson heads to a track where he's had consistent success — even though he views Phoenix Raceway with more trepidation than one might expect. He won in Phoenix back in 2021 , has 12 top-five finishes over 24 starts and finished third in the spring race.

Larson had a disappointing qualifying run on Saturday and will start 22nd. Ryan Blaney won the pole and Joey Logano was second to give Team Penske the front row.

“It's just not been a historically good track for us from start to finish,” Larson said. “We're able to finish well, but I think that has a lot to do with team execution. We've done that time and time again here. I feel like our average (speed) ranking, we're probably an eighth-to 13th-place car most times. We've had a couple decent ones, but we never come here and we're like the fastest.”

It's been a dominant run for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, reminiscent of Jimmie Johnson's peak in the 2000s. He finished sixth last week in Charlotte, which was his worst finish of the postseason.

Bell is currently in third place in the standings, 51 points behind Larson. Briscoe's two straight wins have pushed him into fourth place, 65 points back. Blaney (85 points back), Logano (92) and Tyler Reddick (114) are in spots five through seven.

Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing are still trying to regain the form that allowed him to dominate during the regular season. The No. 11 Toyota finished fifth last week in Charlotte, which was his second-best performance of the postseason.

“No desperation, but the gap needs to close, starting now,” Hamlin said. "I think that's probably pretty accurate with our position. Just to get back on our front foot. You've got to start with winning the day and then go from there.

“But ultimately, with the races winding down, we've got to start chopping into this.”

Logano and Blaney are among the drivers hoping that past success in the desert can help spark a rally.

Logano is a four-time winner at Phoenix Raceway while Blaney has won the past two races at the mile, tri-oval track. He can become the third driver to win three consecutive races in Phoenix, joining Kevin Harvick, who won four straight from 2013 to 2015 and Johnson, who won three in a row in 2007 and 2008.