It’s been less than one full season with Chase Briscoe at the helm of a Joe Gibbs Racing entry in the NASCAR Cup Series, and we’re already talking about the No. 19 Toyota Camry returning to its former championship form.
The Mitchell, Indiana-native, who was just worried about getting into Victory Lane when he first signed with the championship-caliber team, finds himself in the Championship 4 and with a legitimate shot at winning a title at NASCAR’s top-level — following in the footsteps of his life-long hero, Tony Stewart.
So, at what point did the 30-year-old driver go from being an interesting story to watch, to turning into a legitimate championship contender? Well, Briscoe says that it happened around August, at least in his mind.
“There was a stretch around, I want to say it was August, we ran second three weeks in a row. That was when I was like, ‘Man, if we can keep doing this’,” Briscoe said on Thursday. “At that point we still didn’t even feel close to our full potential, We were, like, running top five every race throughout the whole race, just getting finishes. Everything was just starting to click.”
The statline for Briscoe, this season, holds up pretty well against his fellow Championship 4 contenders heading into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway; with the driver of the No. 19 leading the series in top-fives (15), being second in average finish (12.5), and sitting third in top-10s (19).
So, yes, while a triumph on Sunday might be unexpected or a surprise, it would not be undeserving in the slightest.
“I mean, my whole career I’ve been the underdog with the longest odds. I kind of like that, truthfully,” Briscoe said. “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. 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.”
Following Friday’s 50-minute practice session, where Briscoe was one of at least seven vehicles to have issues with their left-rear tires (and on multiple occasions), plus a disappointing 12th-place qualifying run (the worst of the Championship 4 drivers), the Joe Gibbs Racing team is going to have to break out the rally towels.
James Small, crew chief of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, doesn’t appear to be worried about the tire issues in the slightest, telling members of the media in a post-practice press conference that the issues resulted from being “too low on air” and having “too much camber”.
How does Chase Briscoe feel about the entire situation, though?
“[Friday] wasn’t smooth by any means. I would say we definitely, I felt like, made improvements on it. It felt like truthfully it was a really bad lap I ran, was kind of surprised it was even 12th to a certain extent,” Briscoe commented. “I know they’re going to continue to make it better. Like Denny was saying, there is a ton of falloff. Good cars are going to be able to go to the front. I have no idea what my car is going to do in the long run. I think I ran seven laps yesterday. I think if your car is good, you’re going to be able to move around.”
STARTING LINEUP: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix
Of the four drivers in the Championship 4, Briscoe definitely enters the 312-lap contest with the biggest unknowns. Will the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE be good enough to challenge for the championship? Even Chase Briscoe doesn’t know the answer to that.
Coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway will take place on Sunday, November 2, at 3:00 PM ET on NBC, Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
