Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe locked himself into the playoffs with his Southern 500 victory on Sunday. He was able to pass the likes of Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch with 26 laps to go and hold his position for the win. It was largely reminiscent of the Xfinity Series victory that he secured at Darlington in 2020 for more than one reason and he touched upon the same in victory lane.
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A day before the 2020 Toyota 300 on the track, Briscoe had received news that his wife Marrissa had suffered a miscarriage. The couple lost their unborn daughter and were going through the worst of times. But the driver got into his car in the next couple of days and secured a win by getting the better of Kyle Busch in the final laps. Fast forward to Sunday and he did the same.
The one difference was that Briscoe was now accompanied by his son, Brooks. Even more brightly, his wife is again pregnant with twins. He told NBC Sports, “We come here (in 2020) 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.”
Yesterday was the hardest day of my life. @MarissaBriscoe_ and I heard the worst news any soon to be parent could hear… That we wouldn’t be welcoming our daughter to the world on December 1st. I know God has a plan and we may not understand it but we seek Him and trust Him. pic.twitter.com/71uLSeQdsP
— Chase Briscoe (@ChaseBriscoe_14) May 20, 2020
He can’t but help wonder how crazy god works. He continued to reveal that Brooks had been asking him to beat Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson all week. To end up doing so is pretty ironic. The moments in the victory lane are something that the Briscoe family would cherish forever. The one other full-circle point for the driver was winning a crown jewel race in the No. 14 car.
Briscoe looks to end the No. 14 car’s esteemed run on a high
Briscoe grew up watching his idol and team owner Tony Stewart set tracks on fire in the iconic No. 14 car. To do so in a similar fashion in the same car and win a crown jewel race on the final day of the regular season is something straight out of the storybooks for him.
He will be moving to Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot a different ride next season. The soon-to-come departure added a lot more meaning to the moment. He now has the opportunity to create fresh history for the car and take it as far into the playoffs as he can one last time.
The speed that the Ford Mustang displayed at Darlington was highly unusual. The team has struggled over these past few years and managed very few decent results. To produce a win in such a corner is something that Stewart himself would appreciate a lot.
