Chase Briscoe was all smiles and laughed after being seeded second in the NASCAR In-season challenge. Going up against Noah Gragson in the first round, people believed that Briscoe would be the favorite to advance to the second round and continue his bid to win $1 million. But little did anyone know that the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway would throw a curveball at them, and almost all the big contenders would be wiped out in a crash.
A Stage 2 crash sparked by Denny Hamlin sparked a Big One that caught up 23 race cars. Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe all wound him parking their cars. The In-Season bracket was busted, and these drivers lost the shot at winning $1 million. Thanks to that win in Pocono, Briscoe has secured his playoff spot, but he wasn’t content with how NASCAR arranged this In-Season challenge, starting off at a superspeedway track.
The bracket challenge’s fatal first round
Chase Briscoe didn’t hold back when discussing the NASCAR In-Season Challenge on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “I am not a fan personally. I love racing in Atlanta. As the competitor side of me, I definitely don’t love the super speedway to start off a bracket challenge and even really being in a bracket at all.” Now, there is always that chance of being caught up in other people’s mess at such tracks, and unfortunately, the #19 car was on the receiving end of the stick last weekend.
Superspeedways, characterized by drafting and close-quarters racing, are inherently unpredictable. The Atlanta incident, involving nearly half the field, highlighted the risks. This randomness is particularly problematic in the In-Season Challenge, a bracket format where a single poor finish can eliminate a driver from contention for the $1M prize. Unlike traditional points races, the bracket’s high-stakes nature amplifies the impact of such chaos, making the choice of a superspeedway as the opening venue contentious.
Briscoe argues for tracks that better showcase driver skill and team strategy. “I definitely would have liked to have been able to control my destiny a little bit more and just kind of go to tracks where, you, you feel like there’s just more for the whole team, right? Where it’s kind of more of an entire team effort,” he said. To make this challenge more wild, NASCAR had two road course races lined up next in Chicago and Sonoma. A superspeedway followed by two wild-card races, Briscoe felt he was set up for failure.
“I thought for the bracket challenge, it would just have been a better overall product, at least from the competitor side of things,” he added. While fans revel in the excitement of superspeedway chaos, Briscoe believes it undermines the preparation teams invest, reducing the competition to a roll of the dice. His perspective aligns with the broader sentiment among some drivers who feel superspeedways, while thrilling, don’t fully reflect NASCAR’s competitive depth.
But at the end of the day, apart from the million dollars, this In-Season challenge doesn’t influence the playoff picture or the championship path. It was designed to make the summer stretch more interesting and bring about rivalries within the race, and so far, NASCAR has done a good job at it.
Before Chicago street test, Chase Briscoe eyes Wrigley’s pitching mound
Long before he ever slipped behind the wheel of a NASCAR Cup car, Chase Briscoe dreamed of the pitcher’s mound. “If you would have told me 20–25 years ago when I was having my mom and dad pitch to me so I could copy 15–20 different players’ batting stances that I’d be doing this, I wouldn’t believe you,” Briscoe wrote on X after learning he’d throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field on July 3, 2025. That moment of childhood ambition fulfilled underscores his lifelong pursuit of precision. Whether on a baseball diamond or the concrete confines of Grant Park.
Briscoe’s baseball roots run deep. “I grew up playing baseball and loving baseball. Truthfully, my passion was to be a professional baseball player. For me to be able to go there and throw out the first pitch is going to be really, really special,” he said. Ahead of the Cubs-Guardians game. Translating that same focus to Chicago’s street circuit, Briscoe plans to treat each corner like a targeted throw. Methodical, measured, and under complete control.
He laughed at the thought of embarrassing himself on the mound. “I’m just going to go there and let her rip. I played enough baseball growing up that I feel like I’m going to be alright… I’ll just maybe throw my arm out, that’s all.” But the underlying message is clear. Briscoe thrives when he can apply practiced skills rather than leave his fate to chance. As he shifts from the random chaos of Atlanta’s superspeedway to the pinpoint demands of Chicago’s street course. That blend of poise and practice will be his greatest asset.
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