"My arms are smoked" - Chase Briscoe rues Next Gen car's power-steering issues after NASCAR Bristol race

#14 Magical Vacation Planner Ford Mustang driver Chase Briscoe was one driver whose appearance in last Sunday's Bass Pro Shops Night Race was not exactly 'magical'. The 27-year-old driver, who ultimately finished P14 after 500-laps on the Bristol Motor Speedway, suffered from power steering issues for the majority of the race.

With the half-mile-long track's steep banking of up to 30° in the corners, Bristol is one of the most demanding tracks on the Cup Series calendar. Power steering is a crucial component that takes some of the load of the car and tracks off the driver's arms by assisting him/her in turning the wheel by making it lighter.

Briscoe's car suffered a malfunction of the system throughout the race, which meant the Mitchell, Indiana native had to wrestle the steering wheel to turn his car and keep his playoff dreams alive.

Chase Briscoe spoke to the on-track media post-race on what the experience was like inside the car and said:

“My arms are smoked. That was not the most fun. It was ripping the wheel out of my hands every time I ran the bottom and up at the top it was a little bit easier, so I kind of had to run the top no matter what just to try to last, but luckily there wasn’t a ton of long, long runs. There was a couple there towards the end where I was struggling. Luckily, we were already kind of locked in. I didn’t have to race super hard, but not the most fun place to not have power-steering for sure.”

While nursing a broken car, Chase Briscoe made sure not to make any unforced errors on the track which could lead to his elimination from the 2022 season playoffs. His P14 finish sealed his advancement into the Round of 12 and he will be seen racing next Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Chase Briscoe recaps his appearance in the NASCAR 2022 Bass Pro Shops Night Race

Last weekend, Bristol Motor Speedway saw the third round of the 2022 playoffs commence as the NASCAR Cup Series went live for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The 500-lap race saw RFK Racing's Chris Buescher take the checkered flag in P1, whereas other playoff contenders struggled on the half-mile-long oval.

One driver who was content with his performance during the race was Stewart-Haas Racing's Chase Briscoe, who finished in P14 despite power steering issues in the race. He summed up his experience with track-side media and said:

“I was kind of worried pretty early in the race that I was gonna struggle and was able to get fourth in that first stage, third in the second stage and really set us up to where I think we were right at the cut line starting that final stage. We had some luck with the 18 blowing up and a couple guys getting wrecked and there at the end it was unfortunate, we kind of just rode around making sure we didn’t eliminate ourselves, so I’m super proud to be able to move on to the Round of 12.”

Watch Chase Briscoe take on the Cup Series field next Sunday for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.