By David Morgan, Associate Editor
AVONDALE, Ariz. – What a difference a year makes for Chase Briscoe.
At this time last season, Briscoe was closing out his chapter with Stewart-Haas Racing, which had been the place in which he scored his first wins in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series and he was able to drive the famed No. 14 Ford for his childhood hero Tony Stewart.
Fast forward to present day and in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe has the No. 19 Toyota in the Championship 4 with a chance to bring home the championship in his first appearance in the title race.
Reminiscing on the whirlwind year he has had since his time at SHR ended and his tenure at JGR began, Briscoe explained the 180 degree turn his life has taken since the checkered flag fell at Phoenix 365 days ago.
“It’s unique. I’m the only guy, right, that’s up here, that’s even in that situation,” said Briscoe. “And yeah, I just remember last year I knew that I was moving on to a great opportunity, but when you switch jobs, you don’t know if you’re actually going to like it or not or if you’re going to fit in. And like at SHR, I loved the people I was around. It felt like home.
“I mean, they literally would come to my family’s birthday parties and gender reveal parties when we had kids and they were just a part of my family. And knowing that as a group, we were never going to race together again.
“That was hard to swallow. It was emotional. We all cried. I cried on pit road. They were crying on pit road and I mean after the race we were doing beer toasts and stuff and they kicked us out of the racetrack. We did not want to leave because we knew when we left, we were never getting back together again as far as a core group. And then to be a year removed and racing for a championship, it’s something.”
Briscoe added that he didn’t expect when everything was coming to a close at SHR and his time with JGR was on the horizon to be back at Phoenix with the chance of walking away with the championship, but things in life have a way of working out.
“A year ago, I definitely wouldn’t have thought of being a possibility because I was so devastated at the time. But it’s been obviously great coming to JGR. I love it over here, but it’s still different,” said Briscoe.
“Every organization and team has things that are unique about it and I’m glad I’m at where I’m at. I really do enjoy it. But still, SHR was kind of like my first love, right? It was home and it’ll never be there again. So yeah, I don’t know. It’s just different for a lot of reasons. But yeah, I’m glad I’m in this position for sure.”
Looking around at his three championship rivals, Briscoe went on to note how special it is to have been able to make the Championship 4 in his debut season with JGR and to do it with drivers of the caliber he will be racing against for the title on Sunday.
From his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin, to regular season champion William Byron, to the only driver of the four that has won a Cup Series title in the past – 2021 series champion Kyle Larson.
“It’s special just knowing we’re even up here. Those are guys that I definitely look up to,” said Briscoe. “Not so much William, he’s younger than me. Sounds weird to say I look up to him.
“Denny, as a fan, I watched him race for championships. Larson, I’ve raced against Kyle since I was probably 15 or 16 years old. He was always like the guy to beat. Just to even be on the same level as them guys for one weekend is super special and humbling.
“Yeah, I would love to obviously beat those guys. If you can beat all three of these guys, then you’ve earned it. These are arguably three of the best guys week in, week out.”
Briscoe added that he’s relishing the opportunity that lies ahead on Sunday and will be aiming to fully embrace the underdog role in his quest to bring home the championship trophy.
“I mean, my whole career I’ve been the underdog with the longest odds. I kind of like that, truthfully,” said Briscoe.
“But yeah, I don’t know, I don’t feel like we’re some underdog. I feel like Playoff-wise we scored more points than anybody up till last week.
“Yeah, I don’t feel like we’re an underdog. I feel like we’re all honestly really evenly matched. It’s just a matter of executing.
“I wouldn’t feel like we’re an underdog. I feel like it’s a pretty good bet.”
