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Class Act: Competitor Assists Wife of Chase Briscoe Over Darlington Pit Road Wall

Toby Christie

Michael McDowell helps Marissa Briscoe over the pit road wall at Darlington Raceway following Chase Briscoe's win in the Cook Out Southern 500.
Michael McDowell helps Marissa Briscoe over the pit road wall at Darlington Raceway following Chase Briscoe's win in the Cook Out Southern 500. / Toby Christie | Racing America On SI

In NASCAR, when a driver scores a victory, it's become increasingly more and more common for the race winner to be greeted by their family as they celebrate on the frontstretch following their victory burnouts and television interview. Following a Playoff clinching performance in Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe was greeted by his wife Marissa, but had it not been for the kindness of a fellow competitor, the touching family moment may not have been.

Following the race, Marissa Briscoe, who is set to give birth to a set of twins within the next month, was attempting to climb over the pit road wall at the 1.366-mile race track. At most tracks, this wouldn't be much of an issue. However, the pit road wall at Darlington is significantly taller than at most race tracks, and even attempting to climb over the barrier while not pregnant is a tough task.

In stepped Briscoe's fellow racer Michael McDowell, who like Briscoe is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner. The driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse climbed between the pit road wall and the SAFER barrier, and along with the assistance of a member of the AMR Safety Team, helped Marissa Briscoe get over the wall to celebrate with her husband.

After the visual of McDowell rendering aid to Marissa Briscoe hit social media, the 39-year-old driver received an onslaught of praise from fans on X. In a Tuesday interview with Racing America On SI, McDowell downplayed his good deed.

"I mean, really, I saw her going between the front of my car, and behind Austin Dillon's car. And I was just looking at the right side damage and just kind of decompressing a little bit. And she looked over at me and said, 'Michael, can you help me get over the wall? I don't think I can get over the wall,' and of course I did," McDowell recalled. "So, it wasn't really this monumental expression of humanity, like everybody is making it out on social media. It was her asking for help, and I was there to help her. It wasn't really that big of a deal."

And before anyone thinks McDowell made the move with the strategic thought of gaining a drafting ally in Briscoe in two upcoming superspeedway drafting races, Atlanta this weekend at Talladega in a few weeks, McDowell says that was the furthest thing from his mind while assisting Briscoe's wife.

"Obviously, Chase doesn't owe me anything," McDowell chuckled. "I'm just excited for him and his family and know that they've gone through a lot, been through a lot lately. And so, you know, I've got a great relationship with Chase. And I did speak with him afterward, but that's not unusual."

As for the overwhelming response to the moment on social media, McDowell hopes that above all else it sends the message to others to do the right thing.

"Yeah, I think the message is very simple. That if you can help somebody, you should," McDowell explained. "Even in the small things, sometimes they matter more to others than you would think."

Darlington Raceway and The Briscoe Family Have Shared Many Emotional Moments

The weekend was especially emotional for the Briscoe family, as Darlington Raceway served as the site of where Chase and Marissa Briscoe truly began the emotional healing from the most traumatic moments in their lives.

In 2020, just days after the couple miscarried their first child, Chase Briscoe somehow was able to keep himself together inside of the race car in the closing laps of the NASCAR Xfinity Series event, he came out on top of a battle against Kyle Busch for the race win. At the time, Briscoe called that Xfinity Series win at Darlington, "The biggest day of my life after the toughest day of my life."

Just a few years later, the Briscoe family, which has since added a son Brooks, who is now two years old, and are on the verge of two more additions to their family next month, were in Darlington's victory lane again.

"Yeah, it's hard to put it into words, truthfully," Briscoe stated in his post-race press conference. "I mean, it's pretty crazy how God works, right? We come here two days after having a miscarriage, are able to win and beat Kyle Busch. Then four years removed, I win here again beating Kyle Busch, but now I have my son with me. Marissa is here, pregnant with twins that could literally come at any point."

With the impending arrival of their twins, Briscoe's wife had been applying pressure on him to get the win at Darlington this past weekend as it would be her last chance to be at the track for a while. Marissa was not there for Chase's first-career Cup Series win at Phoenix in 2022. Due to the unthinkable tragedy prior to Darlington, and the COVID-19 pandemic, she was not there for his nine trips to victory lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020.

"Funny how it all works out, right? Just to have them here, Brooks has never seen me win. Obviously watched it at Phoenix on TV. For him to get to experience this. For Marissa to be here. When I won all those races during COVID, she was never there. Obviously, when I won at Phoenix, she wasn't there. [This is] The last race she's coming to. Yeah, she's been telling me all weekend, You got to get it done. Think of that as motivation."

The little extra motivation worked, and now Briscoe will get the chance to chase a NASCAR Cup Series championship beginning this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and thanks to the kindness of McDowell, the Briscoes finally got their celebratory moment at a racetrack on the frontstretch at Darlington Raceway.

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Toby Christie

TOBY CHRISTIE

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