DARLINGTON, S.C. — Last summer, the pressure ramped up for Chase Briscoe as the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs approached with the Southern 500.
This time, all of the drivers in the title chase feel things heating up at Darlington Raceway because the postseason begins Sunday night at the 1.366-mile track, where Briscoe is the reigning winner.
A year ago, Briscoe was on the outside hoping to squeeze into the field of 16 as NASCAR came to Darlington for its final regular-season race. A late pass of three others pushed Briscoe to the front, giving him a crown jewel victory in the Southern 500 and Stewart-Haas Racing a surprise chance at a Cup Series title in its final season before shutting down.
Briscoe lasted through the second three-race round, which both he and SHR — now the one-car Haas Factory Team — considered success. Brisoe landed at Joe Gibbs Racing, and the 30-year-old in his fith Cup Series season has been locked into the playoff grid for some time, and this time he carries increased expectations into Sunday night’s race.
“If you just make the round of 16, it’s not a successful season,” Briscoe said Saturday of the expectations at JGR. “It’s kind of a failure.”