After tearing it up on-track, Briscoe tears up after first career Cup win
As someone who admittedly sometimes cries at movies – especially at the real tear-jerkers – I can so relate to Chase Briscoe and the emotions he went through Sunday at Phoenix Raceway.
Winning the first NASCAR Cup race of his career – and reaching a historic milestone by becoming the 200th different winner of a Cup race in the series’ history – Briscoe was not hesitant about what he was feeling, particularly in the final lap as his Ford Mustang screamed towards the checkered flag.
“I was crying the whole last lap,” Briscoe said to Fox Sports.
Courtesy: Dylan Bauerle
This was not a guy who is a crybaby. He showed what real, true emotion is all about in a sporting event. And it was refreshing to see a guy literally bare his emotions at just how significant an accomplishment Sunday was in his life.
Sure, he gets a nice paycheck out of winning the race, but he also earned something that he’ll never forget, as you can only win your first race just once.
And with the way Briscoe stayed near the front and then jumped ahead of the pack on the final restart to put the win away, it’s not surprising why what he achieved meant to him emotionally. Throughout his probably 90-second or so interview with Fox, Briscoe was ready to let the flood gates open up, he was just so enraptured in the moment.
And it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. When Briscoe was chosen to replace the retiring Clint Bowyer behind the wheel of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford after the 2020 season, there were critics who – and I’m collectively paraphrasing some of their reactions – said “Who?”
Surely, Gene Haas and Tony Stewart could have found somebody better, more successful, with a winning Cup pedigree to replace Bowyer – who himself replaced Stewart when he retired from Cup racing.
But as it turns out, Briscoe was the right man for the job. Sure, he had a rough rookie season in Cup last year, finishing 23rd and with just three top-10 finishes.
But Haas, Stewart and everyone else within the organization were not about to give up on him. They were going to give him all the space he needed, for they felt more than confident that he would reach the goals they had set when they first signed him.
However, let’s not forget that Briscoe wasn’t just a winner, he was a HUGE winner in the Xfinity Series. He won 11 races in three seasons, including nine in 2020. Unfortunately, he fell short in the championship battle, finishing fourth in the final standings.
But what he did – and how he did so in such dominating fashion at times – was more than enough to convince Haas and Stewart to give Briscoe a chance as Bowyer’s replacement.
After all, a chance was pretty much all the kid ever wanted in the first place.
And had it not been for several people who helped him along the way, particularly prior to that outstanding Xfinity campaign in 2020, we possibly may never have seen Briscoe in victory lane on Sunday.
He was all ready to go back home to tiny Mitchell, Indiana, population 3,933, and likely may have continued racing little short tracks and dirt tracks around the Midwest, but his NASCAR dream would likely have died.
“Seven years ago, I was sleeping on couches, volunteering at race shops and was literally driving home to give up,” he said, really fighting to hold back the tears, knowing just how rough his journey had been back then. “And (several people) gave me an opportunity and it’s led to this.
“I’m so blessed to be driving at the organization of the team and car of my hero growing up, to get it to victory lane … everybody that’s believed in me, it’s unbelievable.”
Chase Briscoe crosses the finish line to win Sunday's Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
In a touch of irony, Briscoe wasn’t the only driver in the Tony Stewart stable to win a race Sunday. Three-time NHRA Funny Car champion Matt Hagan won his first race for the newly-formed Tony Stewart Racing drag racing team in Sunday’s finals of the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, one of the biggest and most important races on the NHRA schedule.
The now 27-year-old Briscoe becomes the latest driver under 30 years old to finally earn his first Cup win. But in the way he did it, don’t be surprised if there are many more wins to come.
After all, the first one is always the hardest. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him double-up and win next Sunday at Atlanta.
And yes, there’ll likely be many more tears of joy and emotion to come, as well.
But that’s okay. Briscoe proved just how important a win can be, especially for a guy who basically was ready to walk away from it all – but decided to give it one more go-round, and boy did it pay off Sunday in both dollars and tears.
“This is going to be remembered forever,” he said, expressing his emotion to those who cheered him on Sunday, as well as over the last several years: “I hope the race fans enjoyed the race. It was unbelievable from my point.”
It should be unbelievable. After all, he had the best seat in the house at the end.
Follow AutoRacingDigest.com editor/publisher Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski, as well as @AutoRaceDigest