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TALLADEGA, Ala. — Chase Briscoe has prided himself on performing when the pressure is on. When he needs the performance to save his job or boost his career, he delivers.
Entering this season, his first year at Joe Gibbs Racing as the appointed replacement of former Cup champion Martin Truex Jr., he knew that if he didn’t perform, he likely wouldn’t have many options.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like we were capable of doing it,” Briscoe said. “That’s why I said even what I said at the beginning of the year. If I don’t go win, I’m never going to get hired again because the expectation is you have to go to JGR and win.
“If you can’t win in a JGR car, why would anybody hire you for another team?”
An emotional Chase Briscoe reacts after winning the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The 30-year-old Briscoe has faced a different type of pressure in recent weeks in the Cup playoffs. He was the only driver among the eight semifinalists who had never made it to the Champ Four to compete for the title Nov. 2 at Phoenix Raceway.
Briscoe earned an automatic bid to be among those four, thanks to a victory Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, his first win in 28 starts in drafting-style tracks.
“It just felt different because this time I feel like I don’t have to do anything special,” Briscoe said. “In the past, I felt like I had to do something extraordinary to even have a shot to go to the Round of Four. Here I felt like if I did my job, nothing extra, I’d at least have a shot at making it.
“This playoffs has felt different. I’m curious to see how the Final Four feels because I’ve not been in that position before and the weight of it. I’m just excited to at least have an opportunity.”
The JGR driver had only three career victories entering the playoffs and now has two in the first eight playoff races. He has five top-five finishes in the nine races. In his 170 starts before these playoffs, he had just 22 top-five finishes.
He stepped into a team that knew what their veteran driver wanted, but Briscoe also has more desire to work in the simulator and help the team find what works best for him.
All the preparation came into focus in the overtime finish at Talladega. And some luck, too.
Briscoe pushed Bubba Wallace into the lead and expected to push him to the win. But Wallace didn’t make a move to the inside lane and Briscoe — with the help of fellow Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs — was able to dive down and pass Wallace.
Chase Briscoe takes the checkered flag to win at Talladega.
“It’s been a hell of a year,” crew chief James Small said. “Every week, I think we’re still just getting better and better. Chase has grown a lot. He had a lot of pressure on him. We asked a lot of him.
“As I said a million times before, he’s done everything we’ve asked and then some.”
Briscoe’s roots are in sprint-car racing, so maybe that helps his demeanor. He’s used to having to search for the best line on a dirt track and adapting on the fly.
“Nothing fazes him,” Small said. “His personality, he’s cool under pressure. He’s a weird dude. I’ve never met anybody like him.
“To be a race car driver, that’s a great quality to have. For him, [the Champ Four] goes to be an excellent expertise.”
Briscoe and Denny Hamlin have locked themselves into spots within the Champ 4 due to wins within the semifinal spherical. Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson have an almost insurmountable cushion (no less than 37 and 36 factors) on the opposite 4 contenders. These 4 are William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. And if any a type of drivers wins, then the ultimate spot would come right down to Bell or Larson.
Larson, Logano, Blaney and Elliott all have gained titles. Bell and Byron have each been championship finalists two instances.
The motive force among the many 4 finalists at Phoenix who finishes the very best (all drivers nonetheless compete all through NASCAR’s playoffs) is the champion.
How sturdy will Chase Briscoe be when he makes his first Champ 4 look in November?
“If you take a look at the eight guys which are on this spherical normally, I really feel prefer it’s the eight strongest drivers and groups in our sport,” Briscoe mentioned. “Simply to even be related to these guys is an honor for me and a privilege.
“It’s fairly cool [to be in it]. Positively, whoever wins this championship goes to be greater than deserving. Hopefully it is clearly me.”
Small doesn’t suppose the second in two weeks will overwhelm his driver.
“I simply anticipate him to deal with it like one other race,” Small mentioned. “There’s not likely any added further stress, in my view.
“We’ve simply obtained to go on the market and attempt to win the race, attempt to do the identical factor we do each week. It is all going to be in regards to the preparation, placing the work in, ensuring we go there with all our geese in a row.
“I’ve full religion that he has the flexibility to do it, and the event will not be an excessive amount of for him in any respect.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent a long time masking motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Journal. Comply with him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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