BRISTOL, TN. – The lone dirt race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule takes competitors to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway this weekend, and for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) driver Chase Briscoe, it’s a chance to revisit his roots and seek redemption.
The 28-year-old, third-generation racer from Mitchell, Indiana, grew up turning laps on the bullrings in Southern Indiana in cars owned by his grandfather Richard Briscoe and father Kevin Briscoe. Richard was a legendary Sprint car team owner, crew chief, and car builder who over time has fielded entries for 37 different drivers, including such renowned wheelmen as Chuck Amati, Dave Blaney, Dick Gaines, Jack Hewitt, Steve Kinser, and Rich Vogler.
Kevin raced Sprint cars for more than 20 years and won more than 150 feature events. He claimed track championships at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana, and Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway five times, including one streak of three in a row.
Now Chase the youngest Briscoe looks to continue adding to his resume in the highest level of stock car competition.
Briscoe’s results in the first two Bristol dirt races in 2021 and 2022 weren’t what he was hoping for, but his performance in last year’s event is one that won’t soon be forgotten. He started fourth based on passing points earned during his qualifying race, and he immediately took the lead on lap one. He led for 48 laps before spinning on lap 51 to bring out a caution.
Briscoe regained the lead on lap 140 and was declared the winner of the second stage before the field was brought to pit road with rain beginning to impact track conditions. When the race returned to green, and following pit stops, Briscoe returned to the front of the field and placed himself in position to battle for the win.
As the laps wound down, Briscoe plotted his move and, on the final lap, he put it all on the line when he tried to slide up in front of Tyler Reddick going into turn three.
The SHR driver was unable to clear Reddick’s No. 8, sending both drivers spinning and opening the door for Kyle Busch to take the win.
Before this weekend’s featured event on Sunday, Briscoe will make his return to the NASCAR Truck Series to pilot the No. 22 Ford F-150 for AM Racing. Briscoe finished fifth in the inaugural Truck Series event on the dirt at Bristol in 2021 and won the 2018 Eldora Dirt Derby when the Truck Series ran at his team co-owner Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Briscoe made two other Truck Series starts at Eldora and finished in the top 10 both times – third in 2017 and seventh in 2019.
Does the extra time behind the wheel help you prepare for Sunday?
“I don’t know that it’s really beneficial,” said Briscoe. “The truck and Cup car are so different. The biggest thing will be getting an idea of how the track changes, but it could still change from Saturday to Sunday depending on how they prep it. You can still get an idea of where the lanes will form and kind of where guys start to run. I think that’s something that the dirt guys really pay attention to. You’re always watching the track and how it changes throughout the day and the night. Typically if you’re doing the double duty you’re focused on making laps, but in this case, I’ll be looking to see how quickly the track starts to change and take rubber.”
Briscoe took a big gamble on the last lap of last year’s race in an attempt to bring home the win. Would you be up for doing that again?
“I think it just depends on the situation,” Briscoe added. “Last year, we had won at Phoenix and were in a way different position, points-wise. I’ve also got a better understanding of how the car will handle it if I try that again. I definitely don’t regret trying it. I hate that it went the way it did for Tyler (Reddick), but I think a lot of the moves we make in races are situational and it really just depends on the moment.”
SHR partner Magical Vacation Planner (MVP) also returns this weekend with a new look for its first outing on the No. 14 Ford Mustang. Briscoe will have more than 400 MVP agents riding along with him as he takes to the dirt-covered track inside the Last Great Colosseum. MVP was founded by Jamie Ane Eubanks alongside her husband JJ, a former professional basketball player, as a storefront travel agency in 2006.
You’ve got Magical Vacation Planner back on the No. 14 this weekend. How would it feel to take all of those agents and Jamie and JJ to victory lane?
“I’ve known Jamie and JJ since I was little and it would be really special to be able to get a win with them and all of the agents on the car,” said Briscoe. “I had the chance to visit with a lot of those agents earlier this year in Orlando and they are some of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met and just love their jobs. We’ve taken quite a few vacations with the help of the Magical Vacation Planner agents, so it’d be really cool to kind of reward them with a win.”
Together, they have taken the company to new heights. Today, MVP provides one of the best vacation planning services in the industry, serving guests through three branches: MVP Parks, MVP Cruising, and MVP Getaways.
The company provides its exclusive and personalized, stress-free planning service at no additional expense to its clients, making the extensive array of vacation options and add-ons easy to understand and navigate. Its planners actively seek savings for guests by monitoring the release of discounted rooms or vacation packages in addition to creating itineraries.
