2020 was a hard year for the world with the global pandemic. But for Chase Briscoe, it was a lot harder for another reason. His wife, Marissa, suffered a miscarriage right before the Toyota 300 at the Darlington Raceway. Briscoe, who was an Xfinity Series full-time driver for Stewart-Haas Racing at the time, went on to win the race and tributed it to his wife.
Advertisement
The couple carried each other through the tough time that followed, and Marissa gave birth to little Brooks Briscoe a year later. Looking back at it in 2025, Briscoe is proud of the way he handled the entire situation. He noted in an interview with Jeff Gluck that going public with the news of the miscarriage ended up reaping many benefits.
He detailed, “We talked a lot about whether to go public with it and how it turned out. It wouldn’t have turned into as big of a deal publicly if I didn’t win Darlington a day later.” His victory was a memorable one that came after a tough battle with two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. It ended up putting a giant spotlight on him and Marissa.
He continued, “Without sharing it, I think my demeanor at the racetrack would have been different. Everything would have been different. But the community rallied around us, and people I didn’t even know cared about me reached out. That’s something I’m truly grateful for.” Unintentionally, the couple has also become an inspiration for many.
The driver satisfyingly stated how people come up to him and express how his journey has helped them get through a similar situation. He finished the 2020 Xfinity Series season fourth in the driver standings and moved to the Cup Series season in 2021. On October 8, 2024, the couple was again blessed with twin children.
Briscoe champions Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025
Briscoe is currently the driver for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team. He finished the season-opening Daytona 500 in fourth place after starting it from the pole. It would have been the perfect start to the season with his new team. Instead, it has now turned into a tragedy after NASCAR found unauthorized modifications to his car.
The promotion levied him and Joe Gibbs Racing with L2-level penalties as a result early this week. He has been docked 100 driver points and 10 playoff points for the infringement. The team has been fined $100,000 and docked 100 owner points. His crew chief James Small has been suspended for four races as well. Recovering from this downfall will be tough.
However, the team issued a statement on Wednesday expressing its intention to appeal the penalty. Briscoe’s next race will be at the Atlanta Motor Speedway this Sunday. He will look to offset the damage with a strong performance.
