There’s a first time for everything, as the saying goes. And when it comes to NASCAR, visiting a racetrack — particularly a massive facility — can sometimes be a life-changing experience.
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For example, if you visit Daytona International Speedway for the first time, you’re struck by its size, the shiny grandstands, the manmade Lake Lloyd in the middle of the infield, and Daytona International Airport, which sits behind the DIS’ backstretch (it’s particularly great when Air Force One takes off with the President aboard).
When you go through the tunnel that opens into the infield of Talladega Superspeedway, you’d swear NASCAR could put a full third-world country within the massive layout.
And then there’s Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The iconic home of the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, the Indianapolis 500, IMS has hosted NASCAR for the past three decades and will put on the 32nd edition of the Brickyard 400 this Sunday (weather permitting, as thunderstorms are forecast).
NASCAR Cup driver Chase Briscoe grew up in tiny Mitchell, Indiana, roughly 90 miles away from IMS. During Friday’s media availability at the track, Briscoe vividly recalled his first trip to IMS and the impression the place left upon him.
“When I was seven years old, I got a uniform — a Simpson (racing) uniform,” said Briscoe, who started racing go-karts at that age. “I was seven and that was my first time seeing this race track, and I remember getting my uniform embroidered and getting my name on it and coming inside the track.”
To Say Briscoe Was Awed by IMS’ Size Is An Understatement
And when he went into the infield that was surrounded by the iconic 2.5-mile oval, Briscoe was amazed.
“That was the first time I’ve been inside the walls of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and just being in absolute awe,” he said. “First off, of a track this big. I’ve been to dirt tracks that were a quarter-mile, and then to see this place and the grandstands, it was just unbelieve for this seven-year-old kid to see a race track of this size.”
Briscoe would return to IMS to watch his first Indy 500 at the age of 10. Several more trips to the 500 and then the Brickyard 400 (which began racing at IMS in 1994, the year Briscoe was born) over the years cemented IMS as one of Briscoe’s favorite racetracks.
“I used to sneak in the garage area and just try to get autographs and such,” he said. “And once I got older, I was about 16 or 17, and once again, sneaking onto pit road and passing out business cards (as a racer).”
Home Track Hasn’t Been Very Welcoming to Briscoe
That’s why racing at his real home track makes for such a special experience for Briscoe. However, he’s had difficulty in most of his first four starts at IMS.
His first three starts were on the IMS road course, finishing 20th (after qualifying on the outside of the front row) in 2021, 23rd in 2022 (qualified third), and sixth in the last road course race at Indy in 2023.
Last year, when the Brickyard 400 moved back to its rightful place on the 2.5-mile oval, Briscoe qualified 30th and finished a disappointing 24th.
But this year, he hopes, will wind up much better. He’d love to join fellow Hoosiers like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Ryan Newman as a Brickyard 400 winner.
“For me now to be on the other side of the fence and being a competitor, it’s just super cool for me,” he said. “I remember the last Brickyard 400 I came here to watch, it was probably 2013 or so.”
“It’s really special, I’m on the other side of the fence. I look back on it, I think the biggest win of my career was sneaking in the garage, past the yellow shirts (IMS security). That’s a really hard thing to do, but I was able to do it a few times. Just crazy that seven-year-old me from going to get my uniform, to now racing here in the Cup Series.”
