Briscoe Reflects on Phoenix Championship Race, Battling What-Ifs Despite Exceeding Expectations

Chase Briscoe, a prominent driver in the NASCAR Cup Series, finds himself grappling with lingering disappointment following the championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Despite a remarkably successful first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, which saw him reach the prestigious Championship Four, Briscoe admitted to still being haunted by missed opportunities during the pivotal season finale.

"I mean, it was definitely a good first year, right?" Briscoe stated on Tuesday, speaking ahead of the NASCAR Awards Show. "I texted our group chat and told them, ‘we have a lot to be proud of,’ because we gave the whole field a half season head start." This sentiment underscores the rapid ascent Briscoe experienced after transitioning to Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) during the offseason.

His previous four seasons were spent with Stewart-Haas Racing, where he accumulated two career victories. The move to JGR, replacing the retiring Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Toyota, presented an immediate challenge and an acclimation period. However, Briscoe and his crew chief, James Small, not only navigated this transition but thrived, achieving significant milestones. Over the course of the season, Briscoe secured three wins, led the series in pole positions, and amassed more playoff points than any other competitor.

Briscoe elaborated on the ambitious goals set at the beginning of the year with Small. "James and I sat down at the start of the year and he showed me all these goals, and I was like ‘man, I have only two career wins and you expect me to do this’ and we pretty much did all of them," Briscoe recalled. "He wanted 15 top-5s and to have led 800 laps." These targets were largely met, with Briscoe acknowledging, "He wanted four wins and we came up short on that one, but overall, like everything he thought we were capable of in our first year, we pretty much did it."

Related News :

The source of his persistent disappointment, therefore, stems not from a lack of performance but from the specific circumstances of the championship race itself. Briscoe felt he possessed the speed to contend for the victory, drawing parallels to his JGR teammate, Denny Hamlin, who was also a championship contender. However, a series of unfortunate events plagued Briscoe’s weekend. An early practice session was marred by a flat tire, which was compounded by a less-than-ideal qualifying performance. The issues persisted into the race with another tire failure, events that Briscoe believes perpetually hindered his progress.

Despite these setbacks, Briscoe and his pit crew demonstrated remarkable resilience. Briscoe consistently battled back through the field, and his pit crew consistently gained significant track position for him during pit stops. This ability to recover from adversity highlights the team’s strong execution, yet it also amplifies Briscoe’s "what if" scenarios.

"It’s hard to swallow in a sense," Briscoe admitted. "Like, as the days go on, it gets even tougher because it would be different if we ran 15th all day. But I feel like we were capable of winning and just didn’t get to show it with all the issues. We went from the back to the front like two or three different times."

A particularly poignant regret for Briscoe centers on a late-race tire strategy decision. He expressed that he is "still kicking himself" for not advocating for his crew chief, James Small, to opt for two scuff tires, a strategy employed by eventual race winner Kyle Larson and his crew chief Cliff Daniels. Instead, Briscoe, in a moment of trying to empower his crew chief, advised Small to "trust your gut," which led to the selection of four qualifying scuff tires.

"I would personally rather be on offense, and I just wish that he would have obviously not let me talk him out of it," Briscoe elaborated. "Who knows? You never know. It’s the question mark of what would have happened. So that’s the only thing that, I guess, is kind of burning me up is the tire issues we had and that I wish I would have let James trust his gut."

Despite these specific race-day frustrations, the overarching narrative of Briscoe’s 2023 season with Joe Gibbs Racing remains one of exceeding expectations. The team’s interest in Briscoe predated Martin Truex Jr.’s retirement announcement, signaling a strong belief in his potential.

"The goal was to at least win a race," Briscoe stated. "I don’t think they expected this for our first season." He recounted a conversation with team owner Coach Joe Gibbs prior to signing his contract. "Coach told me the day before we signed that he would let me know what Martin decided by 11 in the morning. Sure enough, he called me at 10:57 and his first words were ‘you better not screw this up.’ So I told Coach on the grid after the race I hope I didn’t screw it up." Briscoe delivered this anecdote with a laugh, acknowledging the successful outcome of his tenure so far.

Looking ahead, Briscoe expressed his ambition to build upon this successful foundation. "Now the goal is to build on this and move the goalposts even higher next year and beyond," he concluded, signaling a clear intent to contend for championships in the seasons to come. The experience at Phoenix, while frustrating, has undoubtedly fueled his drive and sharpened his focus for future campaigns.