Earlier today, news broke that Chase Briscoe would graduate to the Cup Series in 2021. To make matters even better, he would take over the #14 car when Clint Bowyer retires. When the Bowyer announcement came, there was a lot of speculation surrounding who would take his place.
Now, it has transpired that Chase Briscoe was already aware that a Cup Series call up was just on the horizon. He revealed that Tony Stewart informed him he would be racing in the #14 car by 2021 or 2022. Truthfully, there were a few names associated with the #14 Stewart-Haas Racing car, including a certain Kyle Larson.
Chase Briscoe said Tony Stewart called him a few months ago saying he would be in the 14 Cup car in either 2021 or 2022. #nascar
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) October 20, 2020
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Eventually, Briscoe emerged as the favorite, and the rest is history. Apparently, his impressive performance in the Xfinity Series, and the fact that he is in the thick of the Playoff battle, was enough to convince Stewart.
Chase Briscoe reveals the advice that Tony Stewart gave him
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Briscoe said, after his win at Kansas last weekend, “I talked to Tony and everyone at SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing). They said, ‘Focus on this week and we’ll talk about it’. Obviously, winning a race is starting to help that situation. Going into next weekend, any time you bring a trophy, it’s just going to help the cause.”
Out of his 11 wins in the Xfinity series, nine of them have come this season itself. In fact, he has bagged the most wins for a Ford driver in the Xfinity Series. This clearly meant that the SHR team was confident that Chase Briscoe was ready to play with the big boys in the Cup Series.
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The last time Stewart-Haas Racing opted to field an Xfinity driver, they chose Cole Custer for the No. 41 Cup car. With seven wins in 2019 under his belt, Custer repaid the faith with a win at Kentucky. In the process, he became their only other driver to rack up a race win this season along with Kevin Harvick.
Read more – “At a Loss of Words” – Chase Briscoe Expresses Pride After ‘Hero’ Tony Stewart’s High Praise