With each passing weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series moves closer to the all-important playoffs. Chase Briscoe is struggling, trailing Ross Chastain by 83 points in the battle for the coveted 16th and final playoff spot. During the Cook Out 400 race weekend, the driver shared his brutally honest thoughts about whether he will even make it.
“Once the playoffs start, I think everyone is going to try to at least hold on and see if we make the playoffs. But after that, I think it’s going to be tough, especially in October,” he revealed to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports (below).
With pressure not only to win but also the Stewart-Haas Racing team closing before he moves to Joe Gibbs Racing next year, Briscoe’s strategy for the rest of the season is based heavily on aggressiveness and taking risks that could get him the results he needs.
“So far everything is still good, at least as far as 14 points are concerned. Everyone is holding out until the end, but I think the morale will depend entirely on whether we reach the playoffs or not.
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“From a company perspective, we need at least one car there, so we have a really good opportunity this weekend with all our cars and hopefully one of us can make it,” he said.
The Indiana native’s results have been mixed this season, with six top-10 finishes, including a narrowly missed second place at New Hampshire. However, he has finished 21st or worse in the last four races – a trend he desperately needs to reverse. The urgency is high, especially with the upcoming Cook Out 400 at Richmond, where he will start 25th.
Now it’s time for the driver to leave no stone unturned and be ready to reach a new level of aggression:
“Just win, right,” Briscoe asserted. “More speed would be the main thing. I think the next four tracks are all good opportunities. Michigan is a little more nerve-wracking for us, in my opinion, but the good thing is — both the good and the bad — we have to win, so to speak. We can just make some desperate attempts and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. There’s no penalty for that. If it does work, we’re obviously in a really good position. We’re going to be really aggressive.”
This weekend will be an important one for the driver. Another race of bad luck and the team’s confidence could be knocked at a time when they need to be strong. But as the season draws to a close for the team, they want nothing more than to finish with a good result.
