CHICAGO, IL. – Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), is set to make his 90th career NASCAR Cup Series start Sunday in the inaugural Grant Park 200.
The event held on the streets of downtown Chicago will mark the first street-course race in the Cup Series’ 75-year history. Drivers will speed past some of the city’s most renowned landmarks, from Michigan Avenue to South Lake Shore Drive, with the start/finish line near Buckingham Fountain.
“I think we’ve seen a lot of attrition on the restarts at road course races this year and with the NextGen car, so I’d expect some of that,” said Brisco. “Maybe there will be some guys that take it easy, but I would guess you’ll have some ruffled feathers at some point and that could lead to excitement.”
Qualifying for the Grant Park 220 takes place on Saturday, and it’s where Sunday’s 100-lap race around the 2.2-mile, 12-turn temporary street circuit could very well be won. Track position will be paramount, as those starting up front are far more likely to stay up front.
Though it will be the first time racing on a street course in the NextGen, Cup Series drivers are familiar with the left and right turns it will take to maneuver through the streets of Chicago. In his time in the Cup Series, Briscoe has made 15 road-course starts resulting in four top-10 finishes and six inside the top-15.
There are always a lot of critics when changes to the schedule are announced, and adding a street race is a big change for NASCAR.
“I’m excited,” Brisco added. “I wasn’t really sure how we were going to pull it off, at first, but the more we’ve prepared and the closer it’s gotten, the more excited I am to get there and see what it’s all about. I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of figuring out the new tracks and I’m ready to see what it’s really like when we get there.”
The dirt racer from Mitchell, Indiana, has always felt comfortable on road courses. He’s been known to state that he drives them like he’s in a dirt car, doing his best to take advantage of braking zones and avoiding slipping the tires as he keeps his speed up. Prior to his promotion to the Cup Series, Briscoe earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval in 2018, and also took home the win in 2020 in the first NASCAR event held on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. In total, he’s earned two wins, four top-fives, and eight top-10s in 11 Xfinity Series road-course starts.
Last weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, Briscoe reunited with his former Xfinity Series crew chief Richard Boswell. Boswell now leads the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors team after beginning the season as the crew chief of the No. 98 SHR Xfinity Series entry. The pair continues to search for ways to improve the team’s performance in the second half of the season. Briscoe left the Music City with his best qualifying effort in the last six races – 18th.
“I think Nashville went well as far as building back on our relationship,” said Briscoe. “Overall, we are not where we need to be and one change isn’t going to fix that. It’s also going to take time for me and Boswell to get back into a rhythm, but I feel like we’re in a good place. Now, we have to focus on the car and what is going on there that we can try to adjust. It’s clear that SHR is off from where we should be as an organization, but there’s no reason we should be finishing outside of the top 20.”
