Chase Briscoe reflects on his "ultimate grinder story" from $500 mini sprint race to qualifying for NASCAR playoffs 

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe recently sat down with NASCAR insiders Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi on the latest episode of The Teardown podcast ahead of the first playoff race. During the podcast, Gluck reflected on Briscoe's grind and hard work to reach his current success.

The Mitchell, Indiana, native began his Cup Series career in 2021 with the now-defunct Cup Series team Stewart-Haas Racing. Since then, he drove the #14 Ford Mustang for the team, securing two wins in his four-year stint.

The team ceased its operations after wrapping up the 2024 Cup Series season, and Briscoe found himself racing for Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2025 season, replacing former Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. in the #19 Toyota Camry XSE. This was a huge jump for Chase Briscoe to switch his OEM from Ford to Toyota, and he performed exceptionally well.

Recalling the same, NASCAR analyst Jeff Gluck was surprised by Briscoe's success and asked him if any other driver could do the same.

"You have the grinder story, the ultimate grinder story, and you've made it to a top team; you've won races, and now we're sitting here talking about you as a possible championship contender. Yeah. Do you think that path has closed behind you?" asked Gluck [22:40 onwards]

Following that, the Cup Series championship contender replied:

"No, I definitely think it's possible. I mean, anything is possible, right? So, yeah, I don't think that door is shut. I mean, I almost think it's easy. Not it's never easy, right? But I feel like more drivers are getting shots now than ever before, almost like at least in the course of the last 10, 15 years. There are a lot of guys that are like getting opportunities, and if you go and perform, then you know you can keep going."

"I'm blessed it was for me, but I definitely think that that door's not shut for anybody. I think that, uh, you know, if you just get the right opportunity and you're willing to put in the work, you know you can perform."

Chase Briscoe concluded and talked about winning a $500 sprint race that got him noticed. This led to him getting a deal in the ARCA Racing Series.

Briscoe further mentioned that, despite not many people being in the grandstands, Briscoe claimed it's all about seizing the opportunity and moving forward.

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"Somebody's always going to be hurt about it": Chase Briscoe got candid about the current NASCAR playoff format

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe was recently featured on the Dale Jr. Download podcast on YouTube. During the interaction, Briscoe and Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked about playoff formats, and Dale Jr. asked Briscoe to share his perspective on the current playoff format.

The current playoff format divides the playoff season into four rounds: the round of 16, the round of 12, the round of eight, and the Championship Four race. The top four drivers compete for the Cup Series title in the race held at Phoenix Raceway.

Team Penske driver Joey Logano secured his third title in the 2024 season, beating his teammate Ryan Blaney. Reflecting on the same, Chase Briscoe shared his take on the current playoff format used by the governing body:

"I don't know. I definitely don't think that there's a right answer. I mean, maybe there is. I don't, because somebody's always going to be hurt about it." [19:24]

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver currently ranks eighth in the Cup Series points table. He secured one win, 12 top-ten finishes, 10 top-five finishes, and six pole positions in 26 starts this season. Additionally, he led 319 laps with an average start of 10.346.