Chase Briscoe will start the 2026 Goodyear 400 from 23rd on the grid, and with the short-track package expected to stir things up, there will be less room to settle into a rhythm from his spot on the grid when the lights go green. Yet, for all the talk of ‘what could happen’, he comes back to one thing—something in Darlington just feels right.
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Briscoe has already predicted a chaotic race, like many others have. More horsepower from the package, in Briscoe’s view, could stretch the field and tilt balance towards teams that can hit the mark on setup. Still, none of the pre-race jibber jabber has dulled his feel for the track.
With two wins at this Venue, in 2024 and 2025, Briscoe knows his way around and has long held it in high regard.
“Honestly, I loved this place from the first laps I ran around it,” he said per Speedway Media. “I don’t know, just something clicked right away. I still had a lot to learn my first time coming here, but the style of racing here reminded me so much of Sprint Car racing, where you’re constantly changing what you were doing.
“You’re always searching and trying to find that little bit more grip,” Briscoe added.
At many NASCAR tracks, the routine can fall into a pattern. A driver finds a line, hits the same marks, and ticks off laps like clockwork. Darlington does not play along. As Briscoe put it, no two laps are the same. The car shifts, the grip moves, and the surface keeps changing under the tires.
One lap can feel in hand and the next can have the rear stepping out as the wall closes in. Instead of following a definite plan, drivers are forced to adjust on the fly, searching for grip, moving their line, and working the pedals and wheel to keep the car pointed straight, very much like sprint races, something the Joe Gibbs Racing ace has done for years and years. And Darlington Raceway fans those memories for Briscoe.
That is why he is so drawn to the venue. The track rewards feel and reaction, not just repetition. It calls for drivers who can read the car’s behavior in the moment and respond in real time.
Across 10 starts at Darlington, Briscoe holds an average finish of 14.4 and has made trips to Victory Lane in the fall race in back-to-back seasons. The spring race, though, still stands as a gap in his record.
