Stewart-Haas Racing, and Cup series, rookie Chase Briscoe had an awakening of sorts Sunday.
In just his second start as a fulltime driver in the NASCAR Cup series, Briscoe started 18th on the 3.61-mile Daytona road course Sunday. He raced there in the Xfinity series last season starting second and coming home 29th.
Sunday, he started 18th and was holding his own even running inside the top 10 for a short time.
Then it all came apart, figuratively and literally.
The power steering went out on his Ford and he was forced to pit for repairs. The crew was able to get the car back out and Briscoe was able to stay on the lead lap. In the closing laps however, the hood on the No. 14 came loose forcing him back into the pits to have the remains removed.
He finished 32nd.
“I made too many mistakes at the beginning and it put us behind the rest of the day,” Briscoe said. “One thing is for sure – Cup Series racing is no joke and racing with no power steering makes it that much harder. We had a chance toward the end for a good finish, but when we all got stacked up the additional damage took us out of contention.
“I’m learning a lot each week and the guys have done a great job of giving me what I need to be able to run all of the laps. On to Homestead and another chance at improvement.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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