Chase Briscoe is currently ranked eighth in the driver standings, but he believes that his championship hopes are still alive, despite lagging behind teammates Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin. 

Speaking to reporters at the pre-race press conference ahead of the Brickyard 400, the No. 19 JGR driver feels that while his current position makes things difficult, he cited the example of Tony Stewart’s 2011 season to state that the current playoff format rewards race winners with bonus points that are crucial in closing point gaps. 

“I definitely think that there's still a legitimate shot no matter where you're at now. It makes your life way harder if you're not in the top five, but if you have a 2011 Tony Stewart run where you win five out of 10 races, you're going to be right there in the mix for it, especially with just how weighted wins are now with those extra bonus points.”

Tony Stewart's 2011 championship remains one of the greatest playoff comebacks in NASCAR history. After entering the postseason as the No. 9 seed, he won five of the final 10 races, including the season finale at Homestead, to tie Carl Edwards on points before claiming the title on the tiebreaker by virtue of more race wins.

Secondly, starting this year as NASCAR went back to the Chase, the sport increased the race-win points from 40 to 55, making the wins much more valuable in the championship fight.

These are the factors that make Briscoe feel that it's still far from over for him. In fact, he used his own performance as an added example.

Going into the race at Chicagoland Speedway, he was 109 points behind the fifth-place cutoff. After securing the win, he left the weekend with a difference of only 40 points, which was thanks to the 70-point haul that came from his victory at the track. 

Continuing in the presser, he also highlighted a realistic point; more than just winning, he would also need a bit of luck for himself, in the form of other drivers ahead of him having bad days or poor finishes. 

Meanwhile, Stewart’s example was recently also used in a conversation about Denny Hamlin’s peak. 

Things can happen over the course of the year

On the Inside the Race podcast, Kyle Petty and Steve Letarte discussed the current championship leader’s rise to the top. Both agreed that the JGR driver has been the benchmark lately, but Petty felt that Hamlin’s current form would not automatically help him sustain through the Chase. 

He then cited the example of Tony Stewart’s 2011 season, stating the importance of win streaks in the history of NASCAR. 

“NASCAR has always, and you know this, Steve, always been a season of streaks. We saw the greatest streak ever, to me, is Tony Stewart, who couldn't hit a bull in the b*** with both hands, gets in the Chase, in the playoffs, and wins five of 10, and ends up as a champion because he got hot at the right time. And I'm not sure that Denny can maintain this level and that this team can maintain this level.”

Rather than focusing solely on Hamlin, Petty emphasized the depth within Toyota's lineup as another reason the championship picture remains far from settled. He pointed to multiple Joe Gibbs Racing drivers who have each enjoyed their own stretches of dominance throughout the season. 

Petty also emphasized that Hamlin will need a second peak in the season, and its timing will be crucial for the driver to eventually grab the honour that has eluded him so far. 

Read more at RFK Racing Digest 

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason