Chase Briscoe has become the man of the moment. With back-to-back Southern 500 wins, each secured in cars from different manufacturers, he has even caught the attention of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who sees him as a real threat to some of the sport’s heavyweights.
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Briscoe may have only two wins this season, but his record speaks volumes: three runner-up finishes and 11 top-fives, proving he runs near the front week after week. That consistency carried into the postseason, where he has thrived under the white-hot pressure of playoff racing.
Dale Jr. took notice. “Briscoe’s a little different in the playoffs, and he said, ‘Man! I love pressure.’… One of the hardest races to win in the year. Dude, he is dangerous. I’d be a little concerned. If I was the competition, I’d be looking at him, going, ‘He’s got to be one of the guys I need to worry about.'”
He added a big prediction ahead. “I don’t know if he can win it all. I’m not ready to say he’s got a chance to go win the championship, but he’s going to ruin and I think I said this, he’s going to ruin someone else’s.
“He’s going to ruin another sure contender. But I mean, if there’s a final four that you feel like are four locks, he’s going to boot somebody out.”
History also reinforces Briscoe’s case as a dogged contender with the right machinery. He has fought for titles in every series he has entered.
In the 2017 Truck Series, he won the Homestead finale but was already out of title contention after an engine failure at Talladega in the playoffs. In the 2020 Xfinity season, he dominated with nine wins but still managed only fourth in the standings.
At Darlington last Sunday, he became the first driver since Bobby Allison in 1971 to lead more than 300 laps in the Southern 500.
Now in his sixth year at the Cup level, Briscoe has logged 171 starts and four wins, split evenly between Stewart-Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. And with momentum firmly on his side, the No. 19 has turned into the dark horse no rival can afford to overlook.
