Chase Briscoe might need been an surprising last-minute addition to the NASCAR Cup Sequence playoff area, however now that he’s right here, the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing driver and his group have adopted a “why not us” perspective.
The group has the proper instance to purpose for — one Briscoe has talked about a number of instances since Sunday evening’s Southern 500. In 2011, Briscoe’s hero and group co-owner, Tony Stewart, went winless within the common season after which gained half of the races within the postseason en path to claiming the championship. The identical perception of being able to coming from behind to win a championship is as soon as once more floating across the group.
“If you have a look at the make-up of Stewart-Haas Racing, a variety of all of it stems from Tony and the psychological toughness and issues that Tony’s been in a position to do,” Briscoe stated. “Momentum is a loopy factor in sports activities. I associated it to N.C. State within the NCAA basketball event. They go from not even having a prayer to make the NCAA event to profitable the ACC event and going all the best way to the Last 4, and I really feel like we actually can relate to that the place when you may have momentum and confidence, it goes such a good distance.
“I don’t see what group proper now would have extra momentum and confidence than we do. It’s only a completely different really feel for the playoffs than I’ve ever had.”
Briscoe certified for the postseason in 2022 after profitable the spring race at Phoenix Raceway. It left his group eager about the postseason for 23 weeks, whereas now the state of affairs is completely different, contemplating how Briscoe made the sphere.
“I’m excited and actually really feel like if we are able to get to Phoenix, we are able to get it completed there,” Briscoe stated. “We’ve already confirmed it as soon as.”
Stewart-Haas Racing doesn’t have another driver championship eligible apart from Briscoe. Whereas the group actually wished extra, it goes in Briscoe’s favor that each one consideration be paid to serving to his efforts for the remainder of the season.
There additionally hasn’t been any turnover on Briscoe’s highway crew or pit crew because the announcement was made that the group is shutting down. Some who labored within the race store have left, however Briscoe will go to battle along with his core group of men.
“The day we came upon,” stated Briscoe, “all the [No.] 14 guys, at the least highway crew guys, went over and met up on the setup plate, and all actually checked out one another within the eye and went one after the other in a circle and stated, ‘I’m in, I’m in, I’m in,’ till the tip of the yr. Even when we ran thirty fifth, we have been sticking it out till the tip, so no worries on [our] facet.
“The opposite groups have had a few individuals go away. However I feel it’s going to be method tougher for guys to go away now, realizing that there’s an opportunity we win a championship.”
And that’s the kind of change in dynamic that’s occurred at Stewart-Haas Racing since Briscoe triumphed at Darlington Raceway.
“If a Stewart-Haas automobile didn’t win Sunday evening, Tuesday morning when everybody got here in after Labor Day would have most likely been the gloomiest, darkest store in your complete business,” he stated. “And now we’re most likely essentially the most electrical, fired-up store. Or at the least essentially the most fired-up I’ve ever seen Stewart-Haas. Everyone has a pep of their step. Everyone is worked up and if Stewart-Haas automobile didn’t win Sunday evening, then it will have been onerous, realistically, to get automobiles to the racetrack these remaining 10 weeks, and issues would most likely have been getting shut off and issues like that. So, for us to have the ability to win that race is fairly dang cool from the standpoint of what it means for Stewart-Haas Racing.
“So, I’m undoubtedly excited. I really feel prefer it’s a kind of issues that all of us internally really feel like we are able to actually go win the championship, and that’s loopy most likely coming from a man that wasn’t even within the playoffs till (a number of) days in the past. However I feel internally, everybody believes it. We noticed Tony do it in 2011 and we’re form of going with that very same mindset of if we are able to win the Southern 500, why can’t we win extra?”
