When Chase Briscoe reached the Nascar Cup series, he was a year late A second year class With familiar faces and rising stars, including a close friend Christopher Bell.
Playing catch -up was not new to Briscoe.
Now winner twice, he enters Daytona 500 Sunday Push the gap even more in its first season with Joe Gibbs Racing. Briscoe left Stewart-Haas in difficulty to replace Martin Truex Jr. After his retirement in 2024, leaving Briscoe better positioned than ever.
“At JGR, the level of expectations is every weekend that you should be in the mixture to win,” he told Orlando Sentinel. “This is probably the best opportunity I have ever had in my career.”
Briscoe aims to capitalize on the emblematic speedway where he has already experienced a taste of success, finishing third in 2022 Austin Cindric has ahead of Bubba Wallace.
“I definitely had a seat in the front row,” he recalls. “These are opportunities that you do not get every day, and I hope you can get another one.”
Briscoe had a headquarters at the front for the race growing around the Indiana sprint car race circuit.
Father Kevin Briscoe was the champion driver and his grandfather owned a car while Jeff Gordon was a family friend before becoming an icon and an inspiration from Hoosier’s state.
“Jeff spent the night with my grandparents growing up,” recalls Chase Briscoe. “I always admired Jeff for what he could do on the racetrack.”
He himself a fan of Tony Stewart, another Indiana legend, Briscoe finally had his chance to compete in 2008 as 410 13-year-old sprint cars. A first victory of the final of the season was historic at his age, broke the one -year Gordon record.
To achieve the relevance of NASCAR, it took time, patience and perseverance, in particular by looking at the success of contemporaries like Bell, the champion of the 2017 truck series, and Tyler Reddick, winner of the XFINITY 2018 series and 2019.
Bell, his closest friend of sport, helped Briscoe establish links with Roush Fenway Racing in 2015. An Arca season with six victories followed in 2016 by driving for Cunningham Motorsports. However, success and financial support were delicate until 2019 with Stewart-Haas Racing.
A season of nine 2020 victories obtained a place in the series of cups in 2021.
“Whenever you have peers who are the same age as you, and they succeed, it pushes you,” said Briscoe. “This recruit course of the 2020 Cup (with also Cole Custer) was one of the most difficult that has ever been. These guys were all guys against whom I grew up running. »»
Briscoe won his first victory during the 2022 Ruoff 500 mortgage in Phoenix and his second prestigious victory 2024 Cook Southern 500 to Storied Darlington Raceway.
Now he will join Bell, a winner of the series of nine times, and the triple champion of Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin, in one of the most prosperous teams of sport, led by Gibbs – a temple of fame among the owners of NASCAR and the head coaches of the NFL.
“It starts at the top with the coach,” said Briscoe. “He is super involved in everyday life and just the side of people. For me, it was probably the largest difference manufacturer here.
“There are many people who have been here for 20, 30 years, and you have no people staying 20, 30 years by treating them badly. He obviously does something good.
Briscoe has obviously also done while juggling with an eventful house life. He and his wife Marissa welcomed twins in October and now have three children aged 3 and under.
“Between trying to be at home and going to a new team, it is the fastest of the season I have ever known,” said Briscoe. “But ready to start. The fact that the season is finally here is exciting for me.
Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]
Next…
Daytona 500
When: February 16, 2:30 p.m.
TV: FOX
