LOUDON, NH – Chase Briscoe has made three NASCAR Cup Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, and each time he’s raced at the 1.058-mile oval, he’s come away with a better finish.
The Mitchell, Indiana, native’s first Cup Series start at New Hampshire came in 2021 during his rookie season, when he finished 27th. In his return to the track in 2022, Briscoe bettered his mark from the year before by 12 spots, finishing 15th. And in Briscoe’s recent drive at New Hampshire last year, he finished 10th. Briscoe comes into Sunday’s USA Today 301 with five top-10 finishes this season and 26 in his career, a mark highlighted by his victory on March 13, 2022, at Phoenix Raceway.
“For whatever reason, it just seems like every time I go to New Hampshire, I’m still trying to just figure out my bearings and what I need to go fast,” said Briscoe. “The Cup car has been kind of interesting. I’ve actually run statistically pretty well in the Cup car there, but it’s definitely a place I feel like I struggle at, and I’ve definitely put in a ton of work in trying to get better there. As big of a struggle as it is and as frustrating as it is, I do enjoy going up to New Hampshire just because I feel like every time I go there, I see improvement. I’m seeing results from the stuff I’ve been working toward, and I’m excited to improve on it a little more from last year. Last year, we ended up 10th there. Hopefully, we can improve on that.”
Phoenix holds many of the same attributes of New Hampshire in that it’s a flat, mile-long oval with little banking in the corners. When Briscoe scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix, he did it in his 40th career Cup Series start. The victory also secured Briscoe’s place in the NASCAR Playoffs and earned him the honor of winning the 200th Cup Series in NASCAR history. He finished ninth in Briscoe’s most recent Cup Series race at Phoenix back in March.
“From a personal standpoint, I feel like New Hampshire is a place I’ve struggled at, but I’ve also put in a lot of work to get better there,” said Briscoe. So to be able to see results come would obviously be satisfying. And then with everything kind of going on right now, not having a job for next year and with our team shutting down at the end of the year, I really feel like I’m auditioning every single week, especially these next three, four or five weeks. Loudon is in that stretch, so I need to go up there and have a good run and prove my worth in the sport.”
Regarding this year’s NASCAR Playoffs, nine regular-season races remain before the 16-driver, 10-race playoffs begin Sept. 8 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Briscoe is currently 19th in the standings, 44 points outside the top-16 cutoff. He can still point his way into the playoffs with a string of solid runs in these next nine races beginning Sunday at New Hampshire. However, the easiest way to make the playoffs is to win. “Win, and you’re in” is the playoff mantra, and ten drivers have already punched their playoff ticket, most recently reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney last Sunday at Iowa Speedway in Newton. A victory by Briscoe would secure his spot in the playoffs and leapfrog him into an 11th-place standing.
“It’s always cool to go up to New Hampshire, just due to the fact that the turnout we get up there is always massive,” said Briscoe. “The fan base there is so motorsports hungry – they love motorsports in that part of the country. They have regional NASCAR series between modifieds and stuff like that, but to have the actual Cup Series come up there, it’s their only shot to see us. They always turn out, that race is always pretty much sold out, a ton of people camp at that racetrack. I feel like that’s some of the most camping we see anywhere. It’s always cool to go up there and have the support of the race fans. It’s always cool to race in front of a big crowd. Every time we go to New Hampshire, we certainly have that.”
Before racing at New Hampshire in the NASCAR Cup Series, Briscoe made two other starts at the Magic Mile – one in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and one in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Briscoe’s New Hampshire debut came in the Truck Series on Sept. 23, 2017, when he drove a Ford F-150 for team owner Brad Keselowski to a respectable 11th-place finish. Briscoe’s next start at New Hampshire was nearly two years later in the Xfinity Series when, on July 20, 2019, he finished sixth in a Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
“I think what makes New Hampshire so hard is that it’s just a really, really fast racetrack,” said Briscoe. “For one, you’re flying down into the corner and it is just so rough. Getting into turn three, especially, your car is just bouncing around. It’s so flat, it has no banking, and it’s got all these patches in different places and it’s just an awkward racetrack. It’s one of those places where if your car is off, it’s just a long day trying to make it do what you want it to do. With how fast we’re going and how flat it is, the car just never wants to do what you’re trying to get it to do, so it’s just a matter of trying to make it as best you can. It’s a challenge of a racetrack. It’s a hard track to wrap your head around.”
Briscoe carries the colors of Zep this weekend in New Hampshire. Zep is the go-to cleaning brand for professionals, and its iconic blue and gold palette adorns Briscoe’s No. 14 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the USA Today 301. Zep is a leading innovator, producer, and distributor of maintenance, cleaning, and sanitation solutions for industrial, institutional, retail, and food and beverage customers. Briscoe’s partnership with Zep isn’t confined to the racetrack. Zep is always within reach from his garage at home or on the Chase Briscoe Racing sprint car hauler that travels to races across the country. A few favorites include Zep’s engine degreaser, foaming glass cleaner, spray cleaner and polish, heavy-duty foaming degreaser, penetrating lubricant, and brake cleaner.
Said Briscoe, “Whether it’s at the track or at home, Zep is always close by. From its line of cleaning supplies to its car care products, you’ll find Zep inside my race hauler and inside my garage. Whether it’s my sprint car, my street car, or my tractor, Zep helps me keep them looking right and running right.”
