By Jerry Jordan, Editor
NASCAR’s 2019 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year, Chase Briscoe, wasn’t sure what his plans would be in 2020 but he can now rest easy as Stewart-Haas Racing made the news of his return to the organization public Monday morning.
The 25-year-old Briscoe did an incredible job for the team in 2020 securing a win and being in contention for the second-tier series championship down to the penultimate race at Phoenix Raceway. Along his 2019 journey, he put the No. 98 Ford Mustang on the pole twice and earned an average finish of 8.2 by scoring 13 Top five and 26 Top 10 runs.
“This is the first time I’ll be able to run back-to-back, full seasons with the same team, and I couldn’t be happier to do it with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Briscoe, a development driver with Ford Performance. “Their faith in me means a lot, and I want to reward them and Ford with more wins and a run for the championship.”
Ford Performance is extremely happy with the young driver’s progress and sees him a part of the manufacturer’s future in racing. It doesn’t hurt his stockcar endeavors that Briscoe also has road course racing experience in the IMSA Series driving a Ford Mustang in the Michelin Pilot Challenge Series. In 2019 he drove at in the Rolex 24 at Daytona and at Road Atlanta. His duties the previous year not only included the Rolex 24 and Road Atlanta but also Sebring International Raceway, LimeRock Park, Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Plus, in 2016, Briscoe destroyed the competition in the ARCA Menards Racing Series with a final-race, season points lead of 535 points over second place. By the end of the season, he had amassed six wins and attracted the attention of several NASCAR top team owners and drivers. The next year he would move up to the NASCAR Truck Series, where he scored four poles and won the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Briscoe’s 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes allowed him to make the playoffs, finish sixth in points and score the series’ rookie-of-the-year and most popular driver awards.
“We are thrilled to continue Chase’s development program with a second full season running the Xfinity Series for Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Chase has proven himself well so far and we’re looking forward to continuing his progression as he competes for an Xfinity Series championship for SHR and Ford.”