Photo courtesy of James Gilbert | Getty Images
Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 driver Chase Briscoe had one of the most overachieving seasons in recent memory. The 28-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana went from going winless in his rookie Cup Series season in 2021 to making the Round of 8 in 2022.
Now coming into his third season in 2023, expectations for Briscoe are wide open.
Briscoe’s sophomore season saw a meteoric rise that started with his first career Cup Series win in the Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway in the fourth race of the season.
He had a few close calls during his rookie year. In the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Briscoe made waves by cutting through the course to move to second place behind Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 driver Denny Hamlin.
Briscoe was penalized for cutting the course, but he spun Hamlin out before serving the penalty. The move opened the door for Kaulig Racing No. 16 driver AJ Allmendinger to take the win.
Similar things happened in 2022 in the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. On the final lap, Briscoe took out Richard Childress Racing No. 8 driver Tyler Reddick, handing the win to JGR No. 18 driver Kyle Busch for his lone win in 2022.
Briscoe’s win at Phoenix led to questions about his outside chances to compete for a title. If he could get his way into the Championship 4, Briscoe could be a favorite to win at Phoenix again.
He spoke about the differences between racing at Phoenix in March compared to November, saying the conditions were vastly different.
“Everything’s for sure different, even set up wise. I would say how we unloaded yesterday was kind of night and day from where we started this season when won here.”@StewartHaasRcng No. 14 driver @ChaseBriscoe_14 on what he can pull from his win @phoenixraceway back in March. pic.twitter.com/glBIO8jNxu
— Brenden Martin (@BrendenMartin_) November 5, 2022
Needing a win to get into the Championship 4, Briscoe fell just short in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway where JGR No. 20 driver Christopher Bell won his way in.
The young Briscoe will go into 2023 no longer as the most recent addition to the SHR stable. The team elected to move No. 41 driver Cole Custer back to the Xfinity Series in the No. 00 car after three years. Ryan Preece will take over in the No. 41 car but has plenty of experience with Ford as he ran a handful of races for Rick Ware Racing, which began an alliance with SHR last year.
Briscoe’s status at SHR will rise after this year as No. 4 driver Kevin Harvick announced his plans to retire after the 2023 season.
As Briscoe enters his third year, his playoff experience appears to secure his spot on the team co-owned by his idol, Tony Stewart, for a long time.
