Chase Briscoe is moving into this year’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway with a sense of urgency, but under completely different circumstances. For the third time in his career, Briscoe enters the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs — only this time, he believes he can truly contest for the championship.
In his last postseason countenances with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2022 and 2024, just making the grid was a feat. The organization, once a powerhouse with Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick, had long since declined before eventually folding. For Briscoe, qualifying for the playoffs during those turbulent years felt more like a moral win than a genuine shot at the title.
Now, competing with Joe Gibbs Racing, the stakes have shifted dramatically. “I was telling my wife that couple weeks ago, that this is really the first time I’ve ever legitimately thought I could win a Cup championship,” Briscoe said during Playoff Media Day in Charlotte. “In the past, you make the Playoffs and it’s exciting, but down deep you kind of know that the odds of you winning are pretty slim, right? Whereas now, not to say that I’m the favorite by any means, but I feel like I have a legitimate chance to go do it.”
Briscoe enters as the No. 9 seed, four points above the cutline after finishing the regular season eighth with 10 top-five finishes and a victory at Pocono. He also posted runner-up results at Sonoma, Dover, and Iowa. “We’ve finished second a lot,” he admitted, noting missed opportunities but also stressing that consistent contention is a sign of progress. “If you keep putting yourself in those positions, you’re going to win more races.”
The environment at Gibbs also comes with greater expectations. At SHR, an early playoff exit might still be viewed positively. At Gibbs, failing to reach the Round of 8 is considered a letdown, and making the Championship 4 is the standard. “From a speed standpoint, I would say arguably we are one of the better cars kind of week in and week out, it’s just a matter of putting the whole race together,” Briscoe said.
He acknowledged the challenge of keeping pace with teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell. “They’re doing a better job right now putting the whole race together than what we do, and a lot of that falls on myself,” he said. “As I get better in understanding and getting more experience, that’ll be better for me.”
The path ahead won’t be easy. With limited playoff points, Briscoe knows that advancing deep into the postseason will likely require a race win. “I’m confident that we can get to that Round of 8, but once you get there, at our points deficit, there’s a chance you’re going to almost have to win the race,” he said.
That’s why Sunday’s Southern 500 feels every bit as crucial as last year, when he won the race to secure a playoff berth. “I feel like we need to go win it just to lock into the next round,” Briscoe said. “Hopefully, I can go there and back up what we were able to do last year but it’s going to be different. Everything changes throughout the year. Setups are different, tires are different, track will age, and it’ll be a challenge for sure.
