“I run better under heavy pressure,” Chase Briscoe quipped after bringing glory to his team. After a 93-race winless streak, the Ford driver finally clinched his second career victory at Darlington. But alongside his personal fortune, he also instilled hope within the 70-time Cup-winning Stewart-Haas Racing organization. He gifted the team’s employees with purpose – a reason to stay and fight.

Since Tony Stewart announced the closure of SHR, turmoil and nerve-racking pressure descended on the team. “It’s been kind of dark and gloomy here for a little while,” Chase Briscoe admitted. Yet they kept working determinedly, hoping to deliver the final touch of tribute to the glorious team. And they achieved it – paving the path for a potential championship run.

Chase Briscoe kept the flame of hope burning

The day when SHR employees found out the ground beneath them would break soon, they pledged. “We’re in this to the end,” they collectively agreed. For around two years, the team had not visited Victory Lane and lagged way behind in points. That prompted Tony Stewart to lose hope about his Cup legacy at the beginning of 2024 – “I give these guys the tools to do the job and we just haven’t got it done the last couple of years.” However, those very same guys got the job done at the Southern 500, even though the heavy burden of the future dug into their shoulders.

That is what Chase Briscoe emphasized in a recent Dale Jr Download episode. He drew a striking contrast between SHR and other race teams. “Truthfully, we’re at a disadvantage. The Hendricks, the JGRs, all they worry about and focus on is how can we take the fastest car to the racetrack. Unfortunately for our employees, they’re trying to do that but on top,” he said.

He continued, “They’re trying to figure out how they’re gonna have enough money to pay their house payments, where they’re gonna work next year, what they’re gonna do for a living.”

And with Chase Briscoe’s fresh win, the 323 employees under Tony Stewart have renewed resolve to keep working. Before the victory, “there’s no reason for anybody to stay the rest of the year,” if Briscoe did not win. But he did, and now people are fired up for a championship run.

“Now, it gives all 320+ people a reason to stay, do everything they can to keep fighting. So it’s gonna be a wild final 10 weeks. And I wouldn’t be surprised if we had another Tony Stewart-type 2011 championship run. Because I feel like as a company, we’re that motivated right now and everybody’s fired up, it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

Besides keeping the flame of hope alive in SHR, Tony Stewart’s playoff stud also achieved a family milestone at Darlington Raceway.

Children’s blessing helped out Briscoe

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The last few laps of the Southern 500 were thrilling to the core. Chase Briscoe went three-wide to close in on late leader Ross Chastain and ultimately overtook him. But he had a former two-time Cup Series champion hot on his heels – Kyle Busch. The Richard Childress Racing driver ferociously chased him, reminding people about their previous Darlington encounter. Briscoe had engaged in an Xfinity duel with Busch on the same track in 2020. He won the race despite finding out that his wife Marissa had a miscarriage a few days earlier.

This time, Chase Briscoe had his three-year-old Brooks and soon-to-be-born twins at the track, rooting for their dad. Briscoe recollected how his son had been pressing him to win. “Brooks has actually been telling me the last three days I got to beat Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch. That’s all he told me. To come out where I have to beat Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch, it’s pretty ironic.”

He added the contrast between this win and his 2020 win. “Four years removed, I win here again beating Kyle Busch, but now I have my son with me. Marissa is here, pregnant with twins that could literally come at any point.”

Evidently, Chase Briscoe uplifted moods both at home and at the SHR office. Let us wait and see how the Ford star fares for the 10-week championship run.