Briscoe, SHR’s playoff title hope alive after impressive comeback

With the end of Stewart-Haas Racing drawing near, no one expected the four-car team to have a car in the playoff fight. And then Chase Briscoe pulled off an impressive upset in the regular season finale, winning the coveted Southern 500. It completely changed the outlook within the organization and for its 320+ employees who face an uncertain future.

“One of my guys said it best the other day, ‘If we didn’t win that race, everybody was already counting down the days to the end of the season.’ Now, they’re so excited and we’re just counting down the days to the next race. It’s changed the entire atmosphere at the shop, the morale, people are excited again, and that’s something that as a company we hadn’t had in a couple of years, so it’s pretty cool to be the guy who gets to bring that to the shop,” said Briscoe in the weekly team advance.

The SHR driver was not a favorite entering the playoffs, but he “knew we could win” — even before Darlington. It seemed like his title shot was going to be over rather quickly after crashing in the playoff opener and finishing last, scoring only one point at Atlanta. But once again, Briscoe and the No. 14 Ford showed they are not to be underestimated. He came back stronger than ever at Watkins Glen, collecting 12 stage points and finishing higher than any other playoff driver with a sixth-place result. In fact, he managed to stay clear of all the trouble that ensued on track last Sunday, crossing the finish line as the only playoff driver inside the top ten.

He had entered Watkins Glen at the very bottom of the standings, 21 points out and facing a difficult climb. But in one race, he jumped five drivers including the likes of Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin. That showing pushed him back above the cut-line, six points up entering Bristol. Now, the Darlington winner is taking that confidence to Bristol as he seeks to advance into the Round of 12.

“The confidence that comes along with that, knowing if we can win the Southern 500, then why can’t we win this week at Bristol? I definitely feel like our team as a whole has way more confidence. We kind of walk with more swagger. We just feel better about it. And to do it the way we did it, beating Kyle Larson, beating Kyle Busch, it’s not like we lucked into a win. We literally ran top-three from mile one…