NASCAR CUP SERIES: COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500

August 31, 2025

Chase Briscoe

Press Conference

An Interview with:

Q. Chase, were you expecting, did you think that Reddick was going to try to do something into turn three and four? For the record, he said he had zero faith it was going to work.

CHASE BRISCOE: Yes and no just because I knew that it probably was not going to work. Like as far as if you aren't on the wall at the end of the run, I mean, it is like ice.

I just couldn't let him somehow get outside of me or mess up one and two so bad where we were side by side enough where he could slide me. I would back my corner up into three so much to make sure I could get on the wall and not hit it.

I think he tried with three or four to go. Whenever he did that, it didn't work out, I even knew a dive bomb at the end was out of the question unless he was extremely close.

I felt like I had a comfortable enough gap coming to the checkered down the backstretch that I wasn't really expecting a dive bomb, per se.

Q. You said earlier this week in a Gibbs car with this team, it's expected to basically get to the Round of 8 if not the Championship 4. To have won your way into the next round, Southern 500, how much is that a relief? What does that all mean?

CHASE BRISCOE: Yeah, it's nice. I mean, truthfully, all week, especially today, even yesterday, I never once even thought about the Playoffs 'cause truthfully the round of 16. With our speed, as long as we just go out and run halfway decent, we should make it.

I try to not even think about the Playoffs at all today or yesterday or throughout the weekend. I mean, it's definitely nice to start off, be able to lock our way into the round of 12. I'm way more excited about seven Playoff points for the next couple rounds, right? That's something we were at a pretty big deficit at. To add seven, that's a huge deal going forward. I was way more excited about that than locking into the round of 12.

Yeah, it's definitely nice for us to start our Playoffs off in the way we did it. Not just winning, but I felt like we dominated. That's really cool to do. It's definitely a great way for us to start. Hopefully we can just ride this momentum now.

Q. What just makes you built for these type of moments? 2022 you make the Round of 8 on points, almost Championship 4, last year winning this race, then Bristol. Tonight you dominate the whole field. What mindset or what puts you in that mindset to perform?

CHASE BRISCOE: I don't know. I've always just loved high-pressure situations. I feel like I just perform better for whatever reason.

I feel like my whole career has always been a high-pressure situation, right? There was no backup plan. You might only get one race, you got to go perform, show your worth.

I've always felt like every week I'm still auditioning to prove that I belong here. Certainly the higher the pressure, the better I feel like I do for whatever reason. Statistically I typically run better in the Playoffs. That mid-summer stretch where there's not a lot going on I typically struggle. The higher the pressure, the better I do for whatever reason. I guess it's a good trait to have, especially with what the Playoffs are. I don't know.

I don't know that anything's really trained me for it other than just, yeah, every time I got in a car, I felt like I was auditioning to prove that I belonged here. Because of that, it puts you always in a high-pressure situation.

Q. Brooks, how was Victory Lane?

BROOKS BRISCOE: Good.

Q. Was there confetti and a big trophy?

BROOKS BRISCOE: Yeah.

CHASE BRISCOE: What did you do after we won?

BROOKS BRISCOE: I went up and I just waved the checkered flag.

Q. Coming to a high-performing team, organization, what were your expectations from Daytona out of the gate for the balance of 2025?

CHASE BRISCOE: Yeah, I mean, the expectation was to go and contend for wins, hopefully battle for a championship. I would say it definitely was harder than I anticipated, the first, I don't know, call it 10 weeks.

I think, too, I say JGR was off, but Bell was able to go win three in a row there. We were learning so much about ourselves. I was learning the race cars, how different they drove. It definitely took a little more time than I expected.

I felt like tonight is definitely what we're capable of kind of week in and week out if we just do our job and perform. The cars are just so good. The execution was there. If we do that, typically we're in the mix to win. Not necessarily dominate like we did tonight, but typically if we just do our jobs right, we at least should be in the mix. At that point you just have to capitalize on it.

Q. You had problems with the alternator. James said he came in, told you to turn off the cool suit, the fan. How did you make it through the rest of the race without those kind of conveniences?

CHASE BRISCOE: Honestly, it wasn't as hard as I expected it was going to be when it all started happening.

The cool shirt thing, you kind of get used to it. It's nice, right? But the biggest thing was the no helmet fan at first just because all of a sudden there's just so much sweat just pouring down your face. I was constantly going down the straightaway, lifting my shield up, wiping it. It truthfully kind of got annoying.

It wasn't really hot inside the car. If it would have been 90, 100 degrees, it would have been rough. It was really one of those things where it was a hindrance for 10, 15 laps. I kind of got in the mindset of I can't do anything about it now, so just deal with it.

Q. A year ago today more or less, Coach came into Victory Lane and your dad was there. He told your dad, We're going to do this a lot together. Now a year later, two wins later, do you feel like you're upholding your end of the bargain to do what you set out to do?

CHASE BRISCOE: Yeah, I would love to still have more wins at this point, right? I definitely feel like I'm getting to the point where I feel comfortable. I feel like now people aren't questioning it as much, Why did they go with him?

Yeah, I definitely feel like I'm holding up my end of the bargain, per se. I heard my dad tell coach, We meet here again. It's been a good place for us to see Coach.

Yeah, I definitely feel like I'm getting to the point where I'm showing my worth to Coach. Hopefully they feel the same, that they made the right choice.

But yeah, certainly the more you can win I feel like the more just naturally it seems like it was the right choice.

Q. Wednesday you established the expectation of being in the Round of 8. Does this kind of change the expectation in the sense that no one expects to be in the Round of 4? Do you feel that's more realistic and where you should be aiming?

CHASE BRISCOE: Yeah, maybe got taken out of context on Media Day. The expectation, we're not saying, We need to make it to the Round of 4. It seems like at JGR, really the it's the Final Four, but at least if you don't make it to Round of 8, it's a huge failure.

When you look at the sport in general, there's eight to ten really good cars. It's JGR and Hendrick cars and a couple of Penske cars. If you aren't one of those top eight, it normally means you didn't have the most successful season.

Starting the Playoffs as a team, we feel we're definitely capable of being Championship 4 caliber, and even the champion. It's a matter of putting 10 weeks together. Obviously we started week one the way we need to.

I know they're not always going to come as easy as they did tonight. If we can continue to bring the speed and execute and be on pit road the way we were, it makes it where I feel like we start internally realizing we're definitely capable of this. Hopefully other people will, too.

Q. Brooks, what did you tell your daddy when he won the race?

BROOKS BRISCOE: I said, Daddy, you won a big race.

CHASE BRISCOE: What did you say the pit crew did?

BROOKS BRISCOE: The pit crew got really fast.

CHASE BRISCOE: What did you tell the engineers they did on the car?

BROOKS BRISCOE: They picked a thing really fast. They also did it really fast. It went super, super fast, the pit stop. Just keep going and going and going and going and going. Then he won the race.

CHASE BRISCOE: There you have it.

Q. You indicated you didn't know what James' plan was going into the Playoffs. He answered that in here earlier, that his plan is just to keep winning. What is your plan going forward now? What do you think you need to do now?

CHASE BRISCOE: Yeah, I mean, I don't think the approach changes. Even I was saying earlier, I haven't really looked at it, Hey, it's the Playoffs, you need to do something different. All the other 26 weeks of the regular season, I just try to go win the regular. It's really no different than what I'm doing the next nine weeks, right? I go to the race, try your best, and at the end of the day you look at yourself in the mirror and know if you did a good enough job or not.

I definitely think we're capable of doing it. James and I, we are still yet to have a single discussion about the Playoffs or the approach to the Playoffs. We act like it's another week, we're going to the racetrack. Like I said earlier, if we just do our job, we should be good enough to be in the mix.

I feel like me and James have definitely not even talked about the Playoffs or this is our approach going into the week. Hopefully we can continue to stay non-stressed about it.

Q. How did you get so good at defensive driving? You did this in Xfinity, Cup, tonight.

CHASE BRISCOE: I don't know. My dad would tell you I'm not very good at it. He chews me out all the time about how I'm too easy to pass.

It's a huge advantage when you're in the lead or the leader. Especially it's a little bit different when you come out on like a green flag stop, you're in traffic and whatnot. When you're in clean air, it's certainly a huge advantage.

Even there at the end, we're all slipping and sliding around. Even three and four, it's a very one-lane racetrack. You have to be on the fence.

I just knew that I could not let Tyler get inside of my bumper. One and two, he almost got there twice. I would have to force my car down there, even though it was not the proper lane I wanted to be in. I just had to take his air away. That's a huge thing obviously in these cars. It would give me a big enough gap where I could back up my turn three and just try to run the fence.

I don't know. I definitely feel like, of anywhere, this is the most comfortable I feel as far as somebody all over me and being a little bit better tire or whatever just because I've done it here more than anywhere else. I've kind of learned what to do and what not to do.

I think it definitely makes it different when you have that experience at a racetrack. Certainly here I have that more than anywhere else.

Q. When you came in here yesterday, you talked about how you wanted to try to push, set a record with the poles. You became the first driver since Bobby Allison in the '70s to lead 300-plus laps in a Southern 500. How special is that for you? Does it hold any value?

CHASE BRISCOE: Yeah, it's cool, for sure. I'd be lying if I said I'm still not mad about yesterday just 'cause I gave it away. That was such a cool stat, to be able to say you won all four crown jewels. I was telling my wife, the odds of that ever happening are so slim just because, first off, get the Daytona 500 pole is so hard to do. Then obviously to do it at all of them...

I just know that in my career, I will probably never have that opportunity again. Obviously it's never been done in the 75 history. Right? That's just such a hard thing to do. So that one stings.

To be able to win here back to back, do it. I didn't know that stat. Nobody has led over 300 laps. I felt like a lot of guys have done that, but I guess it hasn't been done.

It's cool. Anytime you can do something in NASCAR that's not been done a whole lot, it's a special feeling. I mean, just because it's a list of who's who. Honestly, in today's world, I feel like it's so hard to go and dominate a race. You just don't see it because the field is so tight.

Definitely means a lot doing it.

Q. From your perspective, obviously last year's win was huge, here today you come out dominating, you said this is the expectation of what you need in the Playoffs. Is this the best put-together win of your career or are there other races?

CHASE BRISCOE: Man, that's a tough question.

I felt like last year I drove a better race just from start to finish. My car, I didn't feel like was necessarily the best car, just the circumstances and everything. I definitely felt like last year I drove a better race and executed. Tonight I hit the wall super hard with 40 to go. That was stupid when I did it. Eight to go, I hit it hard. I didn't run a very clean race.

My green flag pit stops just weren't really aggressive. So yeah, I definitely feel like if I had to pick one, I still would say last year was more -- I wouldn't say more gratifying, but I feel like I did a better overall job last year.

Today, I mean, my car was so good. As long as I didn't do anything to screw it up, I knew I was going to be in the catbird seat to win tonight.

Yeah, it's just different. When you're coming from behind versus leading the whole time, definitely changes a lot how you feel about it.

Q. Is there anything you can differentiate between winning with two teams over the last two years that makes it more special compared to last?

CHASE BRISCOE: No, not really. It's special. Anytime you win in the Cup Series, it's special. It's just such a hard thing to do.

I don't know. I remember after Pocono I talked about how it didn't feel as cool to win. It just didn't feel the same as all my other wins.

Tonight definitely felt different just because you dominated. It definitely feels different than Pocono. I would say still last year the feeling of winning was such an underdog team, just the situation that it was, winning your way into the Playoffs. I mean, they're both cool, but I would say that one.

Plus it's your first crown jewel. It feels different when it's that. Tonight it's still definitely special, for sure.

Q. This is your first-ever Playoff win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Does this open up the floodgates, build more momentum?

CHASE BRISCOE: I hope so. Certainly I think just the confidence and the momentum that comes with not only winning but just winning the way that we did. That's a big thing for a team.

So yeah, plus I think it opens us up for the next two weeks to do things a little bit different maybe strategy-wise just because we know we have the win in the bag. You can hopefully steal a stage point or two or whatever. I definitely think it helps us, for sure.

Q. You talked about how good this car drove. Is this one of the best cars you've ever driven in NASCAR?

CHASE BRISCOE: Before the race started, me and Bell were talking. I told him, I feel like I'm either going to be in the top 3 all night or be a lap down by lap 70. I didn't know what to expect.

We were talking about the 14 car, what it did so different. I told him in Victory Lane, I said, Man, that thing was pretty close to the 14, I think. I think my car was probably a little bit stronger tonight on the short run. On the long run, I think the 14 was still better, but I could build such a much bigger gap with this car.

They were both good. When you have a car that good, you better win with it. That was something I was panicking with 20 to go. Man, if you don't win with this car, it's hard to go back to your team and complain about anything, even the confidence they have in you.

Kind of had to find another gear there at the end and kind of fight through it. Yeah, 'cause it's hard to go back to your team. At least for me I feel like it's hard for them still to believe in me if I can't win in that style of race car.

Q. The rest of the tracks that are on the schedule, minus Talladega and the Roval, are you the championship favorite?

CHASE BRISCOE: I don't know. I mean, it can change obviously week to week. I definitely feel like with the tracks in the Playoffs, outside of Talladega, I would say New Hampshire, I feel like that's a track I struggle at. But the Roval has been great to me in the past. Cup-wise it's not been.

I feel like the Playoffs really round out well for me statistically. Even at JGR, it's all really great racetracks. So yeah, I mean, the Round of 8 is the hard one just because you do have Talladega in there.

Yeah, I definitely think if we can get there, I feel confident going to Phoenix, too.

What is your question, sir? Who do you work for? Do you have a question?

BROOKS BRISCOE: What you doing, dad?

CHASE BRISCOE: Talking to you, buddy.

Q. Are you going to get a copy of this video for his high school graduation?

CHASE BRISCOE: I'll show his girlfriend or wife one day for sure. He's living his best life. In Victory Lane, he's drinking a milkshake, high-fiving everybody, standing on the car. It's pretty cool.

Last year obviously he was here, Boswell my crew chief, when he came to give me a hug, he punched Brooks in the face. He was crying the whole time. He talked about how he didn't get to do the experience because he was sad and crying and his face got punched. This was a way better experience not only for him but also for myself.

Yeah, it's cool to obviously have him here. I have my family here. The twins are here. First time they've ever been here. Even getting to have Brooks ride with me in the car. I watched Harvick do it all the time with his kids.

For me and him, we've talked about doing that. It's never worked out to where he's either here or he's been punched in the face and he didn't want to get in the car because he was so sad.

Definitely was a special night from that standpoint, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Chase, congratulations and thanks again for your time.