When the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series battle on EchoPark Speedway’s high-banked surface this weekend, the race will carry higher stakes than ever before. The upcoming event will not only be crucial for drivers fighting their way into the playoffs, but it will also be the first race in NASCAR’s maiden in-season tournament.
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32 drivers will compete across five weekends to win a prize of $1 million and it will all begin at Atlanta. Seeding for the tournament’s bracket was set based on the results at Michigan, Mexico, and Pocono. Interestingly, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe has been put up against his former Stewart-Haas Racing teammate, Noah Gragson.
Briscoe and Gragson are close friends off the track. Asked about this matchup, Briscoe told NASCAR, “It’s going to be fun going up against Noah. Me and Noah golf almost every weekend together. My son’s favorite driver is Noah actually. Noah texted me after and he sent me the picture of the bracket. He goes ‘Oh no.’ I thought I was coming for him. So, yeah, it’ll be fun.”
Briscoe won at Pocono Raceway last Sunday and secured a spot in the playoffs. Briscoe admitted that Gragson could wreck him for the same reason — to better his own playoff chances. Even if he does defeat Gragson, it will only be the first step in what is bound to be a grueling challenge with some tough matchups.
The driver has been cast in the tougher part of the bracket. His upcoming matchup could be against either William Byron or Ryan Preece. Following that, he might face one of Ryan Blaney, Carson Hocevar, Kyle Larson, or Tyler Reddick. Surviving through this storm will be as hard as winning the championship itself.
But Briscoe is glad about having more storylines added to the NASCAR season. He said, “I’m excited. I think it’s a great thing for us. It’s kind of a weird part of the season, right? It’s not the very end of the regular season. It’s kind of the dog days of summer in a sense. For us to be able to have something for the next four or five weeks. To kind of have a storyline, I think, will be really good,” he added.
This is Briscoe’s first season with Joe Gibbs Racing and he has begun to prove he could be a worthy fit in the famed No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE that Martin Truex Jr. left behind. Going far in the tournament would help silence criticism about him and his crew chief, James Small.
