Will Chase Briscoe Be 9th-Time Lucky After Past Chili Bowl Disappointments?

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe during qualifying for the NASCAR Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.

The NASCAR green flag will be waved in all its glory at the L.A. Coliseum next month. But before then, fans will get to experience the much-awaited 38th running of the Chilli Bowl Nationals between January 8th and 13th. The midget racing event is all set to begin in Tulsa and one Cup Series star who can’t wait for it to do so is Chase Briscoe.

The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has been a long-time fan of midget racing and the Chili Bowl Nationals. He travels to Oklahoma this year with the hopes of grabbing a Golden Driller award for himself after nine failed attempts at it. The first time Briscoe participated in the event was back in 2015, courtesy of former racer and entrepreneur Jeff Davis who’d been gracious enough to sponsor him a car.

Though Briscoe did not create much of an impact in his time there he did get plenty of time on the track alongside the likes of Kyle Larson. The years that followed did not see him qualify for the event’s A-Main a lot. Despite his hard past in the event, Briscoe is clear about his goals for what’s coming this time.

Not only does he want to make it into the event’s finale on Saturday night but also finish it in the top 10. Though his goals are high Briscoe is aware of the key challenge that lies in it. Being a Cup Series full-timer he is aware of what to expect from his fellow contenders in NASCAR, but that won’t be the case in the Chili Bowl Nationals.

The coming event will feature over 350 drivers from across the country and the sheer number of participants will only make Briscoe’s job a lot harder.

Chase Briscoe remains confident of Chili Bowl success

2024 is a crucial year for Briscoe. With Kevin Harvick departed from Stewart-Haas Racing, the leadership spot at the camp is up for the taking. Proving his racing caliber at the Chili Bowl Nationals will go a long way in setting things in motion for Briscoe to do that.

On what he needs to do at Tulsa this coming week, he said, “I feel like if we could run top 10 on Saturday, I feel like that’s a realistic goal. I think we can get up there in the mix, it’s just a matter of me being on my game.” He also added that he felt like he was always at his 90% during this event and wanted to pitch in the final tenth. Getting into the top 10 in the finale would be a massive achievement for him.

Briscoe will definitely be battling hard to use the event to spring high into the Cup Series season.

Post Edited By: Ankit Sharma
Chase Briscoe

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Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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