Chase Briscoe has spent the majority of his racing life stuck in survival mode. But after a first career NASCAR Cup Series victory Sunday at Phoenix Raceway?
He can finally take those career plans off life support.
Briscoe appears on the verge of Cup stardom just four months after a frustrating rookie season that ended without a single top-10 finish on an oval. This year, he already has two in four races, including this defining performance where he led a race-high 101 laps.
"Everywhere we've went, I felt really comfortable in the [Next Gen] car," Briscoe said. "Week in, week out I keep finding that limit of how much I can slide the car, slip it."
That comfort level has stabilized what was a roller coaster ride for Briscoe to reach the Cup level. At 19 years old, he was ready to give up the racing ghost before a call from Briggs and Beth Cunningham led to a full-time ARCA ride. The series champion in 2016, Briscoe spent the next four years proving he's good enough to stick around.
A full-time Camping World Truck Series ride in 2017 went sour with the team, owned by Brad Keselowski, shutting down at the end of the season. Two wins in a part-time effort running Trucks and Xfinity led to a second full-time shot (this time in Xfinity). But at the end of that, in 2019, sponsorship failed to materialize and Briscoe was on the verge of a pink slip.
"My dad," Briscoe explained, "[Was] wearing a 98 Chase Briscoe hat in the middle of downtown Vegas. Mike Lindberg, the CEO of High Point, randomly walks by and says, 'Chase Briscoe.' Gives my dad a card. A week later, he is committed to sign up for Xfinity [as a primary sponsor].
"Three days before that, I was going to get dropped."
It was after that Briscoe called his shot. Eight wins with Ford to earn a Cup Series promotion. He wound up earning nine, leading the series and making the Championship 4 all while going public over the struggles of his wife's two miscarriages. (That story has a happy ending, son Brooks was born in October 2021 and named after Chase's original ARCA owner).
The reward was driving the No. 14 Briscoe idolized as a kid, once driven by Tony Stewart, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. But last year's rookie season was an outright disaster, even during a down year for the organization. Briscoe feuded publicly with Denny Hamlin for months, spinning him out for the lead at Indianapolis Motor Speedway despite a black flag posted seconds earlier. He became better known for posts on Reddit, including one questioning the safety of the Next Gen car in testing, than success on the racetrack.
SHR stuck with him, despite more DNFs (four) than top-10 finishes (three). The hope was backing from a long-term primary sponsor, Mahindra Tractors, and a new car would allow Briscoe to start the year off fresh.
"I think from a confidence standpoint, I feel like I belong this year," Briscoe said. "Last year, you're very eyes wide open. You're racing against guys you've watched on TV for years, you've looked up to. Now I don't look at the 18 car and go, 'That's Kyle Busch.' It's just the 18 car, another guy out there."
Now, Briscoe has something Kyle Busch doesn't: a Cup victory in 2022 and an almost-certain playoff ticket punched. How deep he'll go in the postseason is anyone's guess.
But finally, at age 27, Briscoe can breathe easy. His place in the sport is secure for years to come, regardless of whether he believes the hype.
"This isn't a guarantee," he said Sunday. "This could be my only win. I hope not. It shows I was capable of being at this level. But you still have to keep working."
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Green: Stewart-Haas Racing. It's not just Briscoe on the upswing here. Both Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick are also solidly in playoff position while their seven top 10s combined are the most of any organization through four races.
Yellow: Chase Elliott. Elliott sits third in the standings through four races, posting two top-10 finishes and 62 laps led. But a late-race spin at Phoenix, after challenging for the win is just the latest missed opportunity for Elliott on an oval. He hasn't won on that track type since November 2020, ironically at Phoenix, while watching teammates Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson win over a dozen races combined.
Red: Denny Hamlin. A pit road speeding penalty derailed Hamlin's front row starting spot at Phoenix, leaving him a disappointing 13th. More was expected from this perennial Championship 4 contender who hasn't had a top-10 finish this season, sitting 27th in the standings (already 35 points behind the final spot).
Speeding Ticket: The Competition Caution. NASCAR threw a competition caution at lap 25 at Phoenix. For what? The weather was perfect all weekend; post-COVID policies have meant the return of normal practice and qualifying. There was nothing to indicate teams were experiencing abnormal tire wear or any type of safety concern.
When drivers know they're running to the caution that early, without any reward at the end of it, what you get is a glorified test session. It's time to throw this extra stage break in the trash can unless NASCAR has a compelling reason to justify it.
Oops!
This week's boo boo comes courtesy the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Ty Gibbs was racing for position with Josh Berry when the No. 8 lost control and tapped Gibbs into the turn, sending the No. 54 around.
Ty Gibbs goes around after contact with Josh Berry. Here's what happened: https://t.co/11juOPFKV7 pic.twitter.com/YxI3KNdIbR
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 12, 2022
It brought Gibbs full circle after a rough week where the Las Vegas winner was criticized for turning underfunded Ryan Sieg.
"He's definitely got to learn his lesson," Sieg said after that. "If you know what I mean."
While both drivers have since buried the hatchet, maybe the racing Gods found a way to make it even? Gibbs still got the better end of the deal, driving back through the field up to sixth.
