One of the biggest surprises that the 2024 Cup Series season threw at fans was Chase Briscoe qualifying for the playoffs. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver won the Southern 500 in Darlington in literally the final weekend of the regular season and made the sixteen-driver cut. Two races into the playoffs, he faces another similar corner in which he must perform to advance to the next round.
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Briscoe’s first step in the Round of 16 was an embarrassing stumble in the form of a DNF in Atlanta. However, he quickly bounced back with a sixth-place finish in Watkins Glen last Sunday. These two results have left him a mere six points above the Round of 12 elimination line which basically means that he will have a lot of work to do when the field travels to Bristol this coming weekend.
Owing to his unlikely presence at this stage of the game, Briscoe is considered by many as an underdog. Does he view himself through the same lens? Definitely not. He told the press recently, “I don’t consider ourselves to be an underdog. Some people might’ve already written us off, but for myself and our entire race team, we all feel like we can win it all.”
“That’s probably crazy from a guy who didn’t look like he was even going to be a part of it, but the way we look at it is if we can win the Southern 500, we can win probably any race throughout the entire season.” He continued to contend that no other team can match the confidence and momentum that the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing team has procured through the crown jewel race win.
The high-stakes battle that Briscoe will face at Bristol
The driver has shown potential at the 0.533-mile oval although his time there has been limited. His best finish in the last four Cup Series races in Bristol is 13th. However, his records in the Xfinity Series fare better in comparison. He finished in the top-4 in the last four appearances and won in 2020.
He is only well too aware of what an elimination race requires from him. “In an elimination race, you have to execute perfectly,” he said. “You can’t afford big mistakes or mishaps. Doing everything right gives you the best chance even if it doesn’t guarantee a win.”
Briscoe will face tough competition from the likes of Denny Hamlin this weekend. Many top drivers are in a situation to perform well to have the slightest chance of progress and they will all be in their best forms. Hopefully, Briscoe’s confidence helps him in overcoming these bigger sharks.
