“My Hero Is Tony Stewart”- Chase Briscoe Eyes Smoke’s Historic Chase Rebound After Charlotte Triumph

Chase Briscoe was ready to write off his championship hopes after a frustrating result at Kansas left him 123 points behind. But two consecutive Cup Series victories later, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has given himself a reason to believe again. His latest triumph at Charlotte showcased the No. 19 team’s speed and a pit crew delivering when it mattered most.

Now, with the Chase picture tightening, Briscoe is looking to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Tony Stewart, who once pulled off a historic championship comeback of his own.

“Should be three in a row, and, uh, just glad we were able to redeem ourself. But amazing job to this team. This pit crew has just been unbelievable and, uh, yeah, my hero is Tony Stewart. He made a pretty unbelievable run, and hopefully we can do the same thing,” Briscoe said in a post-race interview.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had to fight for every inch of his Charlotte victory. In the end, he edged Christopher Bell by just 0.029 seconds in a dramatic, side-by-side finish that included contact. The win marked Briscoe’s second consecutive Cup Series triumph, giving the No. 19 team another reason to believe it could mount a serious championship charge.

Briscoe started second after inclement weather forced officials to cancel qualifying. He maintained that position through Stage 1. However, his afternoon became more complicated in the second stage, when Bell captured the segment win while Briscoe finished seventh. The No. 19 Toyota needed a stronger final stage, and Briscoe delivered when the pressure was at its highest.

The battle intensified late in the race. On Lap 174, Briscoe passed Ryan Blaney through Turn 3 to move into second place and put himself within striking distance of the lead. His opportunity came during a caution on Lap 207, when the leaders headed to pit road. Briscoe’s crew executed a crucial stop, allowing him to emerge ahead of Bell and Kyle Larson. That track position proved decisive as the race entered its closing stretch.

Bell, however, refused to let his teammate escape. He began hounding Briscoe over the following laps, keeping the pressure on as the two Toyotas worked through lapped traffic. By Lap 264, Briscoe held a 1.3-second advantage, but the gap offered little comfort with Bell still charging. Three laps later, the pair went side by side toward the finish, making contact as they battled for the checkered flag. Briscoe held on by 0.029 seconds to secure the victory in one of the closest finishes of the season.

Afterward, Briscoe revealed that he had been worried about his car in those closing laps. When he caught the final group of lapped cars with five or six laps remaining, the car stopped turning as expected, leaving him feeling as though he might hit the wall. He suspected the right-front tire was going down, making his narrow escape even more impressive. He also singled out his pit crew, explaining that knowing they could gain positions or protect the lead on pit road made his job behind the wheel much easier.

The victory completed a remarkable turnaround after Briscoe’s Chase hopes appeared to be slipping away. Following his fourth-place finish at Kansas, he admitted that being 123 points behind made the championship look unlikely. His win at Las Vegas changed the outlook, and Charlotte gave him back-to-back victories. Even so, Briscoe still has more ground to make up, sitting 65 points behind Kyle Larson after Charlotte.

That is why Briscoe invoked his hero, Tony Stewart. In 2011, Stewart entered the Chase without a win but caught fire in the postseason, winning at Chicagoland and New Hampshire before adding victories at Martinsville and Texas. He arrived at Homestead trailing Carl Edwards by three points, needing a huge result in the finale.

Stewart delivered by winning the race while Edwards finished second. They ended the season tied on points. However, Stewart claimed the championship on a tiebreaker, thanks to his five Chase victories compared with Edwards’ one. It remains one of NASCAR’s most memorable championship comebacks.

Briscoe’s road is far from over, but Charlotte showed that momentum can change quickly. With another win secured and his pit crew firing on all cylinders, he will look to keep building on the surge and turn his hero’s historic run into inspiration for his own title fight.

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