Chase Briscoe’s rise to the top has certainly provided its fair share of trials and tribulations.
And at times the likable driver has wanted to throw in the towel for good.
But the Mitchell, Ind. native’s hard work and perseverance paid off on Tuesday when he was announced as Stewart-Haas Racing’s newest NASCAR Cup Series driver replacing Clint Bowyer beginning with the 2021 season.
Briscoe’s graduation to Cup was first reported by CATCHFENCE.com and Motorsport.com.
HighPoint.com, a customer service and technology solutions company that first began partnering with Briscoe last year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series will transition their role as the principal partner of his No. 14 Ford Mustang next season.
“In the final three races last season, we saw a confidence in Chase that we hadn’t seen before,” SHR co-owner Tony Stewart said. “There was a transformation, and I think those three races last year were a preview of what we were going to see this year.
“He’s delivered time and time again this season and he’s definitely ready for the NASCAR Cup Series.”
Briscoe has won a series-high nine Xfinity Series races so far this season and leads the Playoff standings heading into Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. The 2016 ARCA Menards Series champion is already guaranteed to be one of the four drivers competing for the series championship at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway on Nov. 7 after winning this past Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway.
Briscoe is a third-generation racer who launched his career on dirt track in and around Indiana. He began racing in sprint cars and at the age of 13, became the youngest driver to win a 410-sprint car race, breaking the record set by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon by a year.
While expanding his pavement platform in NASCAR, Briscoe’s passion for dirt continues today with his own team and occasionally drives himself – entering his own car at this season’s Chili Bowl Nationals in January.
With father Kevin Briscoe alongside for nearly every step of the way, the dream of driving for his childhood hero Tony Stewart in the NASCAR Cup Series appears bigger than winning the lottery.
For Briscoe, he has hit the lottery and hopes to reap the reward for years to come.
“It is unbelievable. It still doesn’t really feel real,” said Briscoe. “When I first signed with Ford, obviously the goal was to go Cup racing and for me, I would always tell them that Stewart-Haas was my dream situation because I was a diehard Tony (Stewart) fan.
“The goal and dream was always the 14 car, but I don’t think it was always necessarily believable that it was going to happen the way it all worked out. For me to be as big of a Tony fan as I was and to have so much respect for the number 14. To me it is more than just a number. I truly care about that number and the history of that number going from AJ Foyt to Tony and even Clint.
“There is a lot of pride in that number being a dirt guy and drive that car and drive for Stewart-Haas. It is still unbelievable. I have been texting with my mom and dad and wife about how it all just doesn’t seem real. I am ready to get to Daytona though, that is for sure.”
Obviously, the move to Cup will be Briscoe’s greatest challenge yet and while many will set high expectations for the two-time NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series winner, he is trying to keep his goals in check.
“I think just first off it will be just trying to learn as much as I can,” added Briscoe. “Those guys are so good at what they do and it will be a huge jump. Just trying to become a better race car driver, doing all the little things right like pit road and restarts. All those things will be so different and trying to improve on those things.
“Obviously if we could make the playoffs, I feel like that would be a really successful year. We are going to try to go and win races, try to win every race, but realistically it is going to be hard to go do your first year but we are going to try to learn.
“Obviously that new car is coming out the following year, so I think trying to learn as much experience of racing against those Cup guys and trying to become a better race car driver for when we are on the same playing field as far as the car goes. I think with the road courses and the dirt race and even some of the ovals, I feel like we can go run up front. The 14 car is going to have speed, so it is a matter of trying to put it all together.”
In his brief stock car career, Briscoe won six races and the ARCA Menards Series championship for powerhouse Cunningham Motorsports. Moving to Trucks, he won for both Brad Keselowski Racing and ThorSport Racing before transitioning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2018 where he has won 11 times in 80 starts.
“Growing up in Indiana and racing sprint cars, the guy I always looked up to was Tony Stewart. To be able to drive for him is a dream come true,” Briscoe said. “Tony and Gene (Hass) have built something really special in Stewart-Haas Racing. Being a part of it in the Xfinity Series and now, the NASCAR Cup Series has always been my goal.
“HighPoint and Ford created this opportunity, and my parents, my wife, and Briggs and Beth Cunningham, helped position me for this opportunity. Their support means everything, and it’s all the fuel I need to compete at the Cup level.”
For Stewart who carved a similar path to Briscoe, he believes the newest driver of the No. 14 Ford Mustang not only has what it takes to win in the Cup Series but eventually hoist the trophy as champion.
He really took notice in the final races of the 2019 Xfinity Series season. From there, he knew it was a matter of time before Briscoe graduated to that next class.
“I honestly think the last two to three races of the season last year I saw him take a huge step,” offered Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Stewart.
“I sat there through the off-season and thought it was gonna be really interesting to see how he came out of the box this year. I felt like there was a step made and he picked right up where he left off, which was exactly what I was hoping for, but since then he’s just continued to push and progress and make himself better as a driver.
“I think the biggest thing that’s gonna be a big benefit down the road for him, obviously drivers that drive on dirt are used to the back of the car being free and swinging around and wheel spin and everything else, but as NASCAR keeps taking horsepower away from these cars, having the cars freed up is a very big piece of the equation now to make sure that you’re keeping speed and drivers that can handle a loose race car and are comfortable with that feel, I think ultimately, are gonna have an advantage at the end of the day for new guys coming up.
“So, I think that dirt track background and having that confidence knowing how to control a car that to some people looks out of control, but when it’s sliding and you have control of where it’s going still, to have that confidence in it, I think that’s gonna be key in a Cup car down the road. That’s the skillset that you have to learn. Having that base is definitely valuable for any driver.”
For manufacturer Ford, Briscoe is their current chief in their driver development program and learning from the mistake of letting Jeff Gordon escape from their family to Chevrolet, they were determined to see Briscoe’s success from the bottom to the top.
“We are very excited for this day,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “We have a lot of confidence in Chase and have been excited for his future ever since we first met him back in 2016 and we were able to sign him as we were restarting our driver development program.
“A year in trucks and three years in Xfinity with 2018 only being a part-time season for him but he has shown tremendous development through all those different series, handles himself the right way on the track and as importantly off the track. It is so great to see his growth over these last four years and he is ready for Cup and excited to see how he does in the 14.”
But before Briscoe gets excited and refocused for his future, he remains dedicated to his job that he was hired to do this season – bring Stewart-Haas Racing the Xfinity Series championship.
Two weeks from Saturday, he will have that chance.
“From a preparation standpoint, I was just at the Ford Performance Tech Center yesterday running laps in the simulator at Phoenix already trying to get prepared where normally we wouldn’t be doing that three weeks out,” added Briscoe.
“Even reaching out to (Kevin) Harvick yesterday about coming to the simulator to help me get around there a little bit better. All those things allows us to focus on that now that we are locked in. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t be as focused on that kind of stuff right now and we would still be worried about Texas and Martinsville. It opens up a lot more doors for us it feels like.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
