Chase Briscoe on Darlington win, NASCAR playoff berth: 'Unbelievable night'
Better late than never in the case of Chase Briscoe, who won last Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway to clinch a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in what was the final race before the playoffs commence.
Furthermore, Briscoe's last-ditch win to get into the playoff comes against the backdrop of him being one of the four Stewart-Haas Racing Cup Series drivers whose rides end following this season, as the race team is shutting down its operations.
Briscoe elaborated on what the win means for him and his team on the latest edition of "Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour."
"It was an unbelievable night," Briscoe told host Kevin Harvick about the win. "To be able to do that in the fashion that we did it and the circumstances we're in. All the people there have every excuse to, honestly, kind of throw in the towel. Every other race team in the sport right now, all they worry about is how to bring the fastest car to the racetrack every single week. In our place, they're trying to do that, but on top of that, they're trying to figure out how they're going to pay their house payment, how they're going to provide for their family, where they're going to work next year, so many distractions.
"The fact that we were able to go to the last race of the regular season and win at a place that is probably the hardest race of the year to win from just an execution standpoint. Your car has to be good. Your pit stops have to be good. It takes everything and for us to be able to go there and win in our last chance to make the playoffs is a huge morale boost for SHR."
The win at Darlington was Briscoe's second career victory on the NASCAR circuit. With 26 laps to go, Briscoe made a sharp move to the outside to take the lead — which he so accurately recapped on X.
The win produced "the most emotional rush" for Briscoe and was "by far the most gratifying win" of his career.
Briscoe finished the regular season 13th in total points (2005), with one win, three top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes. He has spent the first four full seasons of his Cup Series career (2021-present) at Stewart-Haas Racing. Shortly after the news that the team was closing up shop, Briscoe signed a deal to drive with Joe Gibbs Racing beginning in 2025.
Briscoe said Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner and three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart was "over the moon" when Briscoe told him that he's joining Joe Gibbs Racing next season.
The win at Darlington was also special for Briscoe given the way he felt about his 14th-place finish at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway the week prior.
'I was crying' — Chase Briscoe on winning Cook Out Southern 500
"I [had] literally the worst race of my entire life, got out of the car and just literally stood there. Stared off in the distance for 10 minutes. Texted [crew chief] Richard [Boswell] before we got on the plane. I said ‘I don’t ever want to talk about this race. It was embarrassing. It'll never happen again, and I promise you I will make it up to you this week. I texted him again on Tuesday before our team meeting. I said ‘hey, I’m just reiterating, we're not talking about the race last weekend. It never happened," Briscoe said of his performance at Daytona. "And then for us to be able to go there [Darlington] and win from a personal side meant a lot to me.
"I felt like I put a lot on my shoulders going into this weekend, and for it to work out the way it did, and for us to be able to win in the fashion that we did it was really special."
First up on the playoff schedule is the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Atlanta Motor Speedway this coming Sunday.
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