After winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2019, Chase Briscoe will have another year to chase the Xfinity Series championship as he’ll return to Stewart Haas Racing in 2020, the team announced Monday.
Briscoe, a native of Mitchell, Ind. is a two-time winner in the Xfinity Series with both of his triumphs coming in Stewart-Haas Racing prepared Ford Mustangs. He won the inaugural Xfinity Series race at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL in 2018, while capturing a critical victory at Iowa Speedway that secured his spot in last year’s Xfinity Series Playoffs.
While the 25-year-old came up short of competing in the Championship 4, he finished fifth in the championship standings with one win, two poles, 13 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes across 33 races, his first full season of Xfinity Series competition.
“This is the first time I’ll be able to run back-to-back, full seasons with the same team, and I couldn’t be happier to do it with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Briscoe. “Their faith in me means a lot, and I want to reward them and Ford with more wins and a run for the championship.”
Briscoe is a third-generation racer whose career began on dirt tracks in and around Indiana. Since he was 13, Briscoe has followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps, racing sprint cars on the rough and tumble bullrings of the Midwest. It’s a lineage that makes Briscoe a natural fit for SHR, as the Xfinity Series team is co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, an Indiana native who also began his career on dirt.
Before his graduation to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he competed in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series for Brad Keselowski Racing in 2017 on the heels of his ARCA Menards Series championship in 2016 with Chad Bryant Racing (formerly Cunningham Motorsports).
“We’re very proud to have Chase back with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said team co-owner Tony Stewart. “Chase is an Indiana kid with a dirt-track background who has shown he can race on asphalt as well as he can on dirt. We think very highly of him and look forward to a strong season in 2020.”
While working with crew chief Richard Boswell last season, Stewart Haas Racing officials did not announce a car number or crew chief for Briscoe’s sophomore season.
With Cole Custer being elevated to the NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2020, it’s likely that SHR will field just one Xfinity Series program this year.
“We are thrilled to continue Chase’s development program with a second full season running the Xfinity Series for Stewart-Haas Racing,” added Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Chase has proven himself well so far, and we’re looking forward to continuing his progression as he competes for a Xfinity Series championship for SHR and Ford.”
Sponsorship for Briscoe this season has also yet to be announced.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
