Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX - Chase Briscoe Interview | VICTORY LAP

Episode Date: September 2, 2024

Join Kevin Harvick for a special episode of Victory Lap as he sits down with Chase Briscoe! Chase takes us behind the scenes of his exhilarating win at the Southern 500 in Darlington, where he clinched a spot in the NASCAR Cup Playoffs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour, presented by NASCAR on Fox. And this week on our Victory Lab, we have Darlington Southern 500 winner Chase Brisco. And I can't wait to get right into this conversation because of all the things that have happened with Chase over not only just this year, but the last several years just trying to find his place in the sport. So can't wait for this conversation. All right, Chase. Well, what a freaking night. You had all of us that are on this show and probably. people everywhere standing up watching TV last night. What in the world was that emotion like?

We heard afterwards just the emotion on the radio and everything that you went through. You guys have been through so much. Explain to us what that meant and what last night was like. Yeah, it was an unbelievable night, obviously. But yeah, to be able to do that in the fashion that we did it and in the circumstances we're in, you know, the people there have every excuse to honestly kind of throw in the towel. You know, and every other race team in the sport right now, all they worry about is how to bring the fastest car to the racetrack every single week. And our place, they're trying to do that. But on top of that, they're trying to figure out how they're going to pay their house payment,

how they're going to provide for their family, where they're going to work next year, just a ton of other stuff and so many distractions. And the fact that we were able to, you know, go to the last race in the regular seats, season and win at a place that is probably the hardest race of the year to win from just an execution standpoint. You know, your car has to be good. Your pit stops have to be good. It takes everything. And for us to be able to go there and win.

And, you know, our last chance to make the playoffs is a huge morale boost for SHR. You know, obviously, if we would have won next week, it would have been great. But it wouldn't have done near as much from inside the, you know, the four walls of the SHR as it does as winning. to get in the playoffs. So yeah, just an unbelievable night. And yeah, just super thankful that I was the one that gets to drive it. So you go through the whole season. You guys go through the shop shutting down.

At what point did the conversation between you and Richard Boswell, your crew chief, say, okay, we got to put all this behind us. How are we going to get to Victory Lane? How are we going to finish this season off and work together? And, you know, we know people are going to leave. What was the turning point? Because we've seen flashes of speed from the SHR cars here and there. But what was that turning point for you guys to say,

we got to figure this out and make something out of this season? Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, what we did last night, the mentality was no different than what we've been doing all year long. You know, but last night, just everything, you know, came together. You know, I felt like our car was really, really good. Our pick crew was really, really good. I ran a really good race. It just took everything.

Yeah, I don't know. I don't know what changed. I know last week at Daytona was probably the most embarrassing race I've ever ran in my career. I was just, like, embarrassed to even be around the guys because of how bad I did. And I texted Boswell literally before we got on the airplane Saturday night. And I said, I don't ever want to talk about this race again. We're not going to talk about it this week. But I promise you all I will make it up to you next week.

And for them to be able to bring a car. that was capable of winning. And for me to obviously do the job that I needed to do was a huge thing. So, yeah, I'm excited for these next 10 weeks. I feel like that, you know, we're dangerous with our backs up against the wall. We have nothing to lose. And now that our team, you know, and our pick crew and everybody believes that we can win, I definitely think it's going to be an exciting 10 weeks for us.

Well, momentum is a beautiful thing. And when everybody believes that and has it, it's like you say, it's very dangerous. now you're going to Atlanta where we know the Fords will be good usually and you guys go there talking about having that upset and having that your back against the wall

last week at Darlington coming through now you know you have all that confidence like you said what does that mean going to a place like Atlanta and knowing that this is an opportunity to make it happen again yeah our car in Atlanta earlier this year was incredible that was a race

I should have won I was extremely aggressive and just put myself in a bad spot. You know, I was three wide and then kind of made myself four wide, getting into three at the end and wrecked myself. So I felt like I learned a lot there just as far as, you know, just putting myself in better situations, right? You know, you can't do that in the playoffs. And I know if our car is like it was the first Atlanta race,

I will definitely be able to be aggressive and make moves and be in the mix. You know, our car's balance at Atlanta was really, really strong. You know, a lot of guys struggled to, run wide open there and our car was able to run wide open so I can make huge moves and do different things and I think for us this first round we see it time and time again the first round of the NASCAR playoffs you just cannot eliminate yourself and you know it gets a little tricky with a super speedway being in that first round but at the same time you just cannot have this a massive mistake right you can't have a 30-something place finished and I think for us that's the big goal is

is this first round, you know, we just need to average, you know, at top 12 to top 15. If you can do that, you're going to move on to the next round. And then after that, obviously, you have to perform a lot better. But this first round, we just can't eliminate ourselves. And hopefully, you know, we can go and not eliminate ourselves. We were able to do that in 2022. And obviously, it was able to make a big run at it. So you got to get through the first round before you can go on to the next ones.

And, yeah, just can't eliminate ourselves. Well, I'm glad to hear that you kind of know that target number that you're shooting for from points and, you know, what those things mean. Just to keep that calculation in your head is, in my mind, is important. Let's go back a little ways. You came to SHR, not really knowing what you're doing. You're kind of fighting for your life, whether it was your truck series ride, whether it was your Xfinity ride with, you know, not enough sponsorship. And so you go through all those, all those moments and all those situations. And then you have this year to where, you know, the team shutting down. and you don't know what you're doing next year.

Talk about that transition of being back in that position of not really knowing what you're doing and then wind it up going to JGR for next year. Tell the fans just how those times are because I've watched you go through it, man. And you've earned your way all the way through this whole process and just by sheer determination, just like we saw yesterday. What's that like when you don't know what you're doing next

and you're racing for your life? Yeah, well, first off, I appreciate it. I don't know. It's not, I wouldn't say it's like an uneasy thing for me. I honestly, I mean, I love job security, right? But I also love having my backup against the wall. I feel like it makes me perform way better. And my whole career's been like that, right?

You know, sleep on the couches and volunteering at shops, you know, getting one opportunity in a race, having to go perform. And then, you know, go to the truck series and the Xfinity series and all those things. and you have to perform if you want to continue to have a job in this sport. And yeah, it's been a wild ride. You know, unfortunately, obviously with SHR shutting down, it put me in a weird spot not knowing what was going to happen. And then, you know, to get the opportunity to go to JGR and drive,

you know, probably one of the best cars in the entire sport is something that I'm super excited for. And, you know, last night I felt like was gratifying in the sense. I felt like it proved to. people that probably doubted why I got that ride that, you know, I am capable and I feel like I'm one of those guys that deserve, you know, that caliber of rides. So, yeah, it's been, obviously, a wild career in just how everything's kind of turned out, you know, from, you know, the sleeping on the couches to, you know, not having a ride and literally highpoint.com coming in a day left, or my career was over. And now for them to be on the car two and win the Southern

500, there's just a ton of things that, you know, one little thing could have been different throughout my career and I'm not sitting here talking to you guys right now. And, you know, for it all to kind of go the way it did, it's certainly crazy to think about. Have you had any conversations with Tony along this way? You know, obviously he knew the position that everybody was in about what you should do next or when you were leaving or anything along those lines. Yeah, so I tried to talk to Tony the day he told us all. Are you talking about the playoffs or are you talking about just the SHR show?

down in general. Just just just just in general just with SHR shutting down and what you should do next as far as as as as you know going to get a job and driving for JGR I mean you've had a long relationship with Ford and obviously Tony was your idol growing up and I know how much driving that 14 car meets means to you but I know Tony's also realistic about everything that that goes on with this sport in a position that you guys were all in did you ever seek advice on any of those things? Yeah, so I tried to talk to Tony the day he told us that, you know, we were shutting down, and he had obviously all the employees coming up to him and talking to him. And, you know, from the day we shut down to the day I signed at JGR was six days.

So it happened super, super quickly. Wow. I called Tony the day that, you know, I found out that I had signed something. It was the next day, actually. And I called him and I said, hey, look, I was trying to talk to you at the shop the other day. I was wanting some advice. I said, but you were so busy, and I just wanted to say thank you, obviously,

for everything you've done for me and taking a chance on me and the opportunity. And he just told me, look, anything I can do for you as far as calling team owners or anything I'm more than willing to do. And I said, well, you don't have to do that. I said, I should decide something last night.

And he said, oh, the 34 car. And I said, no, not the 34 car. He said, oh, the 21. I said, no, not the 21. And he said, well, what is it then? I said, well, I'm actually going to drive the 19 for JGR. And he was over the moon. And he's like, man, that is the coolest thing I've heard all year long.

And he was just super excited for the opportunity that's going to allow me to have. And yeah, so I was going to talk to him about advice stuff. And then it happened so quickly. And he was obviously busy with everybody that day. I didn't want to take away from the employee guys getting to talk to him. So, yeah, I didn't end up getting to talk to him about it, but it obviously worked out. Well, I know one thing is for sure. Sure. You're going to go from a pretty intense crew chief to another really intense crew chief.

So that's going to be, you watch your back against the wall and that pressure put on you. James is, James will put that pressure on you. I love that. I love that too when you're held accountable. When you go back and you look at Darlington yesterday, you think that's the most emotional race victory that you've ever had afterwards? Yeah, I mean, the Darlington Xfinney win, right? Like the two days after a misdemeanor, carriage was certainly emotional, but it was emotional for different reasons. And then when I wanted Indianapolis, that was emotional too. But I would say last night was for sure the most emotional, like just rush I've gotten after the checker flag. You know, like all the way up to the checker, like when Kyle was running me down, the two to go white flag, like I never once felt nervous. You know, I mean, like nothing fazed me in that sense. And as soon as I crossed the checker, it was Like everything came out and just, you know, I did the victory lap and turned around backwards and just drove and put the window net down and looked at all the fans.

And that's when I started like bawling, just the amount of people and, you know, just knowing that I just won a crown jewel in NASCAR and did it at a place that is, you know, honestly probably the most challenging place to win at was just by far the most gratifying win. when I would say in my career. And then just even the circumstances, you know, a lot of people don't realize, you know, everything that happened at Daytona and just how bad of a job I did. Like I did literally the worst race in my entire life and got out of the car and just literally stood there

and like stared off in the distance for 10 minutes. And yeah, texted Richard before we got on the plane. I said, I don't ever want to talk about this race. It was embarrassing. It will never happen again. And I promise you, I will make it up to you this one. week and I texted him again on Tuesday before our team meeting. I said, hey, I'm just reiterating. We're not talking about the race last weekend. It never happened. And then for us to be able to go

there and win, you know, just from a personal side meant a lot to me. Just I felt like I put a lot of my shoulders going into this weekend and for it to work out the way it did. And for us to be able to win in the fashion that we did it was really special. Well, it was pretty awesome. And I'm really happy for you and your whole team and everybody that's left at SHR that, you know, has stuck around to be there at the end. I hope you go out there and make some noise in the playoffs and have fun these last 10 weeks. And I know that this takes a lot of pressure off of everybody there, but go have some fun, man. Yeah, I appreciate it.

It's definitely a good shot in the arm, I think, for everybody there. So hopefully, you know, we can do a run like Tony did in 2011. All right, man. Thanks for taking a time with us today. Yeah, thanks, buddy.