Chase Briscoe may have scored two wins in his maiden season with a powerhouse like Joe Gibbs Racing, confident that the equipment under him would be top-notch. But ahead of Darlington, he downplayed expectations, saying his focus was on reaching the Round of 8.
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After Sunday’s Southern 500 win, however, he clarified whether that modest goal was about staying grounded or just avoiding long-term speculation. Briscoe explained that his words from media day had been misinterpreted.
“The expectation, we’re not saying, we need to make it to the Round of 4. It seems like at JGR, really, it’s the final four, but certainly if you don’t make it to at least the Round of 8, it’s a huge failure,” he said.
Briscoe pointed out that in the bigger picture, there are only eight to ten cars truly capable of running for the title, the fleet from JGR and Hendrick, plus a few Penske machines.
Falling outside that group, despite being a driver from these teams, usually means a driver didn’t have the kind of season that measures up. Still, Briscoe believes the No. 19 team is built for a Championship 4 run, and maybe even the ultimate prize.
Briscoe added, “It’s just a matter of putting 10 weeks together. Obviously, we started week one the way we need to. I know they’re not going to all come as easy as they did tonight.
“But certainly, if we can continue to bring the speed and execute and be on pit road the way we were, it makes it where I feel like we start even internally realizing we’re definitely capable of this. Hopefully other people will, too.”
His Darlington win vaulted him past Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and regular-season champion William Byron in the standings, placing him atop the playoff ladder. Without that victory and his average finish of 25.0 at Gateway, the JGR Toyota driver could have been under pressure heading into Bristol, where his six starts average a 13.2 finish.
Instead, the win guarantees Briscoe’s place in the Round of 12. Now the task shifts to stacking more victories, pushing him first into the Round of 8, and ultimately taking aim at the Championship 4.
