Surely, Chase Briscoe recognizes the intensity of his rookie NASCAR Cup Series season. (Photo: Stephen Conley | The Podium Finish)
In general, the past two months of NASCAR Cup Series racing, perhaps for Chase Briscoe, seems “outside of the norm.”
In fact, Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing, observed Sunday’s race at Michigan as nice. Moreover, he looks forward to getting back to “regular racing.”
Chiefly, Chase Briscoe found himself in contention last Sunday at Indianapolis. (Photo: Stephen Conley | The Podium Finish)
“When you look back on the last six out of seven weeks, the Cup cars have been on either road courses, triangles in Pocono or the flat mile in Loudon,” Briscoe observed.
If you’re looking for normalcy in that stretch, you look at the Cup series’ trip to Atlanta. But even that race threw a curveball at the drivers, or, a piece of asphalt.
Notably, drivers return to high speed oval racing at Michigan International Speedway. Likewise, Chase Briscoe and his competitors embrace Sunday’s race at the two-mile superspeedway. Additionally, with any Cup race weekend at Michigan, drivers like Briscoe race for the pride of their manufacturer.
For this reason, Briscoe observes the importance of Sunday’s (August 22) race for his No. 14 team.
“If I do end up in front at Michigan, I know I can run with these guys.” – Chase Briscoe (Photo: Michael Guariglia | The Podium Finish)
“It means a lot to race in Ford’s backyard,” Briscoe said. “Pride is on the line and it really is for all of the manufacturers to win in Michigan.”
Likewise, for the Blue Ovals, they can take pride with their six race winning streak at Michigan. Of course, Kevin Harvick, Briscoe’s teammate, rides a three-race winning streak. Certainly, Briscoe and Harvick hope Michigan turns their seasons around.
Expressly, Briscoe sought his first Cup win last Sunday at Indianapolis before NASCAR parked him for tangling with Denny Hamlin. Presently, Briscoe enters Round 24 at Michigan focused on doing his best.
“I don’t have a ton of laps around this place,” Briscoe shared. “I’ve only raced here once or twice and I really not sure how it handles in the Cup car.”
By all means, Briscoe faces a big challenge as he last raced at Michigan in 2019. In detail, Briscoe placed seventh in the 2019 XFINITY Series race. Also, he finished ninth in the 2017 Truck race.
Conversely, Briscoe wished this weekend included practice for more on-track experience at Michigan. For this reason, he observed how Stewart-Haas Racing’s 550 package on these tracks longed for full race weekends.
“We’ve been OK on these tracks, but there is still work to do,” Briscoe opined.
Surely, the “show up and race” weekend format at Michigan must be embraced by the likes of Briscoe. With this in mind, Briscoe and his contemporaries possess plentiful pride for their manufacturers. Indeed, the highest starting Fords at Michigan are Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto in Row 2.
More importantly, Briscoe must refocus his mindset entering Sunday’s FireKeepers Casinos 400. As he focuses on contending at Michigan, plentiful work awaits as he starts in the 21st position.
“We’ve been OK on these tracks, but there is still work to do.” – Chase Briscoe (Photo: Michael Guariglia | The Podium Finish)
Ultimately, Briscoe recognizes the importance of this weekend for his Playoff hopes, especially with a win. All in all, Chase Briscoe, a resilient and realistic racer, seems prepared for his latest challenge.
“It’s gonna be tough, especially with the crapshoot that Daytona brings in the regular season finale,” Briscoe remarked.
