“Something Clicked Right Away”: Chase Briscoe Details His Instant Connection With Darlington Raceway
Aug 31, 2025; Darlington, South Carolina, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe (19) celebrates his win with his son Brooks at the Cookouts Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. | Credits- Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Chase Briscoe will start the 2026 Goodyear 400 from 23rd on the grid, and with the short-track package expected to stir things up, there will be less room to settle into a rhythm from his spot on the grid when the lights go green. Yet, for all the talk of ‘what could happen’, he comes back to one thing—something in Darlington just feels right.
Briscoe has already predicted a chaotic race, like many others have. More horsepower from the package, in Briscoe’s view, could stretch the field and tilt balance towards teams that can hit the mark on setup. Still, none of the pre-race jibber jabber has dulled his feel for the track.
With two wins at this Venue, in 2024 and 2025, Briscoe knows his way around and has long held it in high regard. “Honestly, I loved this place from the first laps I ran around it,” he said per Speedway Media. “I don’t know, just something clicked right away.
I still had a lot to learn my first time coming here, but the style of racing here reminded me so much of Sprint Car racing, where you’re constantly changing what you were doing. “You’re always searching and trying to find that little bit more grip,” Briscoe added. At many NASCAR tracks, the routine can fall into a pattern.
A driver finds a line, hits the same marks, and ticks off laps like clockwork. Darlington does not play along. As Briscoe put it, no two laps are the same.