Last season, it was Chase Briscoe that found himself taking the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway in the early season. The Stewart-Haas NASCAR driver punched his ticket to the playoffs with that win. Now, he wants to relive last season with another win in the desert.
With Chase Briscoe under a longer-term contract, this season might be less pressure for him. There are a number of drivers that have echoed that sentiment ahead of this season with their own extensions.
As Briscoe prepares to repeat at Phoenix this Sunday, he has good memories to look back on. Although he wasn’t in the Championship 4, he almost earned his way in at Martinsville. Then, he finished P4 in the fall version of the Phoenix race.
So, why not the No. 14?
“I was never really a great short-track racer, but this Next Gen car just fits my driving styler better,” Briscoe said about the change last year. “We found something at Phoenix that translated well to those other tracks. Even after all the things we tried throughout the season, we saw that we could show up at Richmond, Martinsville, and Phoenix and run up front.
“I hope that’s the case still, and we have a shot at going back-to-back at Phoenix. That win means so much – that one moment from last year I wish I could revisit. I would love to do it again.”
This could be a chance to get the season back on the right track.
Chase Briscoe Needs a Good Finish in Phoenix
To be frank, this season has been a dud so far for Chase Briscoe. There really hasn’t been anything to note from the driver, and that is with many Fords finding early success in 2023. Let’s just say it, he isn’t keeping up with his teammates at SHR or others Ford teams like RFK.
Briscoe had a P35 DNF finish at Daytona. That was just a tough break where he was taken out of the race early and had no way to recover his day.
Then, we saw the West Coast trip start. At Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, he was able to finish P20. He only picked up 17 points and was not talked about most of the day. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and Joey Logano all earned Ford T10 finishes.
Somehow, he took another step back last week. Chase Briscoe was P28 at Las Vegas and picked up a whopping 9 points. Before we talk about a win, let’s just hope Briscoe can get into the top 20 in Phoenix.