“Were all those ass chewings worth it?”
On Sunday, NASCAR visited the 1-mile of Phoenix Raceway. Chase Briscoe became the 200th driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series event.
The driver held off Ross Chastain and Tyler Reddick in a final laps shootout. He claimed his first career win, in his second full-time season with Stewart-Haas Racing.
The win comes after years of scratching for his position in the sport. Just a few years ago, Briscoe was days from giving up pavement racing. A call to test an ARCA ride led him back to victory lane.
And in 2019, he was almost forced to give up once more. Ford Performance was going to lift their backing of the driver. That’s when he was signed by his racing hero, Tony Stewart.
Stewart invited fellow Indiana native Briscoe to his home to sign the contract. He then secretly recorded the whole thing.
Related: Phoenix race results from March 13, 2022 (NASCAR Cup Series)
Chase Briscoe on nearly quitting his NASCAR career
“I was driving with half my stuff back from North Carolina to Indiana. I called my mom an hour before, I was balling. I had no opportunities. An hour later, I get that phone call,” Briscoe stated from the media center.
“Heading into 2020, I was going to get dropped. I had no sponsors, no nothing. Ford was in a weird situation where they didn’t want to fund it anymore.”
“My dad is wearing a 1998 Chase Briscoe hat in the middle of downtown Vegas. The CEO of High Point just randomly walks by and says, ‘Hey! Chase Briscoe!’ “
“He gives my dad a business card. A week later, he committed to signing for Xfinity. Three days before that, I was about to get dropped.”
Related: Tony Stewart house for sale in Indiana (Video Tour)
Briscoe credits his tough Father for leading him to victory lane
“I remember how hard my dad was on me. He chewed me out in victory lane with the sprint car. I count on maybe three occasions where he’s told me I’ve done a good job,” Briscoe added.
“Without him being that hard on me, I definitely wouldn’t be the race car driver I am today. It was cool, he was here this weekend.”
“He came up to me in victory lane and gave me a hug. He had tears in his eyes, I had tears in mine. He said, ‘Were all those ass chewings worth it?’ And it’s the truth.”
“Without him being that hard on me — You know, a lot of dads sugarcoat it and tell their kid that they’re the best and they’re not doing anything wrong.”
“My dad was the opposite, he was always hard on me. Always was not afraid to get into my rearend. Honestly, I’m glad that he did it that way.”
Briscoe added, “At the time, I didn’t always understand it. Now, looking back on it, I’m mature. He’s still that way today. He was chewing me out for how I was doing stuff in practice yesterday. He keeps me grounded and really helps me a lot.”
Related: NASCAR sponsor places bet on Chase Briscoe, the win paid 6 figures
Links
Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Phoenix Raceway | NASCAR
