Kyle Larson is one of the few drivers who can be seen competing on dirt tracks outside of NASCAR. A key reason why his team Hendrick Motorsports allows this is the fact that he hasn’t let his external pursuits affect his performance in the Cup Series. One team owner who wants his driver to follow in these footsteps is the 3xCup Series champion, Tony Stewart.
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Stewart-Haas Racing’s (SHR) #14 Ford Mustang pilot Chase Briscoe said in an interview that Stewart has always pushed him to take up dirt racing as often as possible. The driver believed that the enthusiasm from the team owner came from his background racing outside NASCAR. He added, “He’s like, ‘Man I’m all for it. The more you want to race, the better. I’m a big advocate of that as you know.”
Briscoe drew a key difference between teams like Hendrick Motorsports and his own in this regard. Mentioning that it was easier to talk to the higher-ups in the SHR compound, he continued, “The big thing for me is when I go to the higher-ups, right? It’s not that hard to sell because they can’t really say no when Tony was always doing it.”
Why dirt racing is important to both Tony Stewart and Chase Briscoe?
Stewart and Briscoe both have roots in dirt racing from their initial days behind the wheel. They grew up speeding on the most challenging short tracks in the Midwest and developed a true sense of passion for the discipline, which in turn helped them hone their skills for the top tiers of NASCAR.
In a 2023 episode of ‘Mentor&Mentee’, Briscoe and Stewart appeared together for the SHR media team when they spoke about their combined love for dirt. Briscoe said, “It’s safe to say no matter where our careers take us our first love’s always going to be dirt racing. It’s something that we both still do to this day.”
Stewart added that driving in the dirt, regardless of whether on a midget or a sprint car, has taught both of them the crucial aspect of car control. In his words, “So, everything is different. Whatever one of those cars wants you to do with your hands and feet is different.” He continued that racing different models of cars was just learning what the particular car wanted its driver to do.
Despite his love for and experience in dirt racing, Briscoe hasn’t quite reached the level of Kyle Larson yet. He will be vying to do so in the 2024 season under the guidance of Stewart.
