It wasn’t that long ago Chase Briscoe was considering giving up on his racing career.
From 2013 to ’15, he was moving couch to couch and spending late nights surfing LinkedIn for potential sponsors. After hearing hundreds of “nos,” he finally found an opportunity to take a step toward NASCAR by racing the ARCA Menards Series with Roush Fenway Racing in 2015.
Fast-forward eight years, and the ink is still fresh on Briscoe’s multi-year extension as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver for Stewart-Haas Racing. The contract announcement was made on Thursday morning, exactly two weeks after SHR driver Kevin Harvick announced this would be his final year in NASCAR.
“To be where I’m at is pretty crazy,” Briscoe said. “Not only just to make it to the Cup Series, but to make it to the Cup Series and drive the car that you dreamed of driving.”
Briscoe first signed with SHR in 2018 for a part-time Xfinity Series schedule, but became a full-time driver for the team the following year. He graduated to the Cup Series in 2021 with SHR — an operation he considers to be a “powerhouse team” in the NASCAR garage. Over the past two seasons, Briscoe has earned 13 top-10s, six top-five finishes and one win, which came at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway in March.
According to Briscoe, there was an extra push from SHR to sign a multi-year extension in light of Harvick’s decision to retire. But as a young father, Briscoe predominantly viewed the stability of a long-term contract in the context of his life off the track.
“That’s the biggest thing for my family, having comfortability that, for the next few years, I’m going to have a job,” Briscoe said. “Especially when you’re raising a little one, that’s most important about this whole thing … how it affects my family, versus how it affects me.”
Briscoe and his wife, Marissa, welcomed their son Brooks into the world in October, 2021.
While the family-oriented man is grateful to have a secure career path, at least for the foreseeable future, he is still the boy who started as a humble dirt-track racer and found a way to live his dream as a NASCAR driver.
“I definitely want to add a lot of history to the No. 14,” said the son of longtime sprint car racer Kevin Briscoe. “It’s known for being this car that’s always battling for championships, battling for wins, and the driver’s just this down-to-earth, normal dirt racer.”
Previous drivers of the No. 14 car include NASCAR legends Tony Stewart and Clint Bowyer.
As Briscoe goes into his third season in the Cup Series, he finally feels as if the car truly belongs to him and he’s the next “long-term guy” who will occupy the seat. While the ghosts of Stewart and Bowyer may always hang near the No. 14, Briscoe has experienced a firm mentality shift as he’s realized it’s his turn to make his mark.
“When people think of the No. 14, I want them to think of me,” Briscoe said.
As for his growing role at SHR, he added, “Knowing that Kevin’s not going to be there one day, and with Aric Almirola leaving in the next few years, I’m going to be the guy who’s been there the longest. So naturally, the leadership kind of falls on (me) to a certain extent.”
The next opportunity for Briscoe to continue building his legacy with SHR is fast-approaching. The non-points Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum is set for Feb. 5 and after that, it’s off to Daytona Int’l Speedway for the esteemed Daytona 500 on Feb. 19.
“I always run at 100 percent to show my team that I’m not giving up,” Briscoe said. “I don’t think my mentality changes now that I’m secured for years to come, maybe it makes you a little less stressed at home, but you’re still just going to the race track every weekend to win.”