Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe officially earned the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors Sunday. It marks the second consecutive year the SHR team has fielded the top series newcomer. Cole Custer won it last year.
Briscoe, 26, driver of the No. 14 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang, finished out the season with a 35th place finish at Phoenix – crashing out after a tire problem while running 12th. He finished 23rd in the final championship standings.
“We were racing hard. We had a really, really good long-run Mustang but our short-run speed, we were just trying to hang on,” said Briscoe after being evaluated from the infield care center. “We were three-wide one time off of Turn 4 and the 18 got into me a little and gave it a little bit of a tire rub. I think he was getting frustrated because I was just trying to hold those guys up as long as I could because I knew if I made it 15 laps I would be okay. He got into me into 3. I don’t know if he just sent me or what. I feel like at the same time, my left-rear tire cut.
“I don’t know if that was from the damage earlier and then when he got into me the second time it finally cut it or what. At that point, I was along for the ride. It is super unfortunate. We had for sure a top-10 car and if we could have had some long runs maybe even a top-five car. We went all year long and never crashed a car, so to end it on the last one like that is unfortunate. You always want a good run at the end of the season to build momentum into the off-season. You just want to have good runs every week. I hate it that it ended this way, but I am looking forward to the future and everything that entails.”
A nine-time winner while racing full-time for the team in the Xfinity Series last year, he had three top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, including a best of sixth place at both the Austin and Elkhart Lake, Wisc. road courses. He led 18 laps with a single day best of 12 laps led at the Indianapolis road course.
“I wish there was more competition for it (Rookie of the Year) and we were going up against more guys but it is really cool to be able to win it in all three series now,” added Briscoe.
“That is something that is really special. I didn’t know if I would ever get a chance to run in the Truck Series, let alone all three. To be able to win Rookie of the Year, I think only two other guys have done it in all three. That is really cool to accomplish. It is a nice thing to achieve by the end of the year. You kind of start the season hoping that you win it and then to be able to lock it up is nice.”
The series other Rookie of the Year contender, Front Row Motorsports driver Anthony Alfredo, 22, finished 30th in the standings with one top-10 finish, a 10th place at the Fall Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway race. He closed out the year with a 34th-place finish following an accident at Phoenix.
Source: Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service
CATCHFENCE.com senior writer Chris Knight contributed to this report.
