Not all heroes wear capes, and not all little kids get to meet their heroes. Some heroes wear fire suits, and some little boys not only meet them but also get mentored by them. Chase Briscoe is one of those lucky few. From sitting in a chair dressed as Tony Stewart to sitting in the iconic #14, Briscoe has come a long way.

So, it’s only natural that he has a special place for Stewart and doesn’t hesitate to go the extra mile for him. Chase Briscoe took to Instagram to show his fans a 22-year-old-memory that is nostalgia at its best and speaks volumes about the young driver’s adoration for his mentor.

Tony Stewart and Chase Briscoe: Peek into the mentor-mentee relationship

In the heart of Indiana, where racing legends are born, Chase Briscoe grew up idolizing Tony Stewart. As a young boy of just 7, he watched in awe as Stewart clinched his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2002. By the time he turned 16, Briscoe witnessed Stewart’s remarkable journey, culminating in his third championship title in 2011. His admiration for Stewart only grew as he followed his career, first with Joe Gibbs Racing and then as a co-owner and driver for Stewart-Haas Racing, earning accolades and respect along the way.

Chase Briscoe‘s Instagram post from a few hours ago, “Are flashback Fridays still a thing? Found this on my phone earlier and brought back alot of fun memories. Practically every day, I’d wear my Tony Stewart Home Depot uniform and helmet and play Dirt Track Racing Sprint Cars on the computer, fun times.”

There is a clear connection to Indiana, as Stewart hails from Columbus and Briscoe is from Mitchell, located around 60 miles apart. Additionally, their racing histories are quite similar. Both began their careers in dirt racing, honing their skills on dirt tracks before moving on to the paved circuits of NASCAR.

From idol to mentee, it’s been one heck of a journey for Briscoe, who is grateful for everything Stewart has helped him with. Their relationship is one straight out of a book of sporting dreams.

How did Briscoe and Stewart become mentee-mentor?

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After a celebrated career, Stewart hung up his racing gloves following the 2016 season, but his impact on the sport remained strong. In 2019, Stewart saw potential in Briscoe and brought him into the fold, signing him for a full-time role in the Xfinity Series. Flash forward to this week, and the excitement reached new heights as Stewart announced Briscoe would be stepping up to the Cup Series. In a twist of fate that felt almost poetic, Briscoe was set to take over the iconic No. 14 car, a seat once filled by his childhood hero. A moment that felt like a dream come true, intertwining their racing legacies in a beautiful narrative of mentorship and ambition.

“It is unbelievable,” Briscoe said when he took over Stewart’s number 14 in 2021. “It still doesn’t really feel real.”

“I wish I could go tell 7-year-old Chase who was wearing his Tony Stewart stuff and playing sprint car video games and NASCAR video games that he was eventually going to get to drive his car,” Briscoe told NASCAR then.

Stewart once told NASCAR that Briscoe is also similar to him when it comes to dealing with mistakes, “When he makes a mistake, he will spend more time reflecting on that mistake, unfortunately, than he does the rest of the good things that he does all day, but that’s kind of the way I was in my career, too. I felt minimizing mistakes was the key to winning races and championships, and that’s also the same mindset that Chase has as well. He’s very, very diligent about making sure he learns from everything that happens on the race track, and he’s got a pretty good memory bank to hold all of that knowledge in.”

Briscoe was the Sunoco Rookie of the Year in 2021 while driving for Stewart-Haas Racing. Prior to this, Briscoe drove the No. 98 Ford in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where he achieved his ninth win at Kansas Speedway in 2020, ultimately bringing his total to 11 Xfinity victories. Notably, his first win in that series dates back to 2018 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

Briscoe is now a playoff driver and a solid force to be reckoned with on the track, and he always shows his gratitude towards Stewart for the same.