Chase Briscoe is eyeing the remaining five races on the NASCAR schedule as his chance to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Heading into the Brickyard 400, Briscoe sits right on the playoff bubble at No. 16 and understands the high stakes involved.
For Briscoe, winning the race guarantees a playoff spot. Anything less will add to the tension during the series’ two-week Olympic break. Knowing this, the 29-year-old driver from Indiana plans to take an aggressive approach on his home track.
“We’re in a position where we might be able to accumulate enough points, but realistically, we likely need to win,” Briscoe explained. “Being in a must-win situation like this allows us to be very aggressive with our race strategy. If we were 20 points below the cutoff, we’d probably have to be more conservative.”
Briscoe isn’t alone in this situation. He is one of six drivers currently in playoff contention without a win this season, which could jeopardize their postseason chances.
Drivers like Martin Truex Jr., Bubba Wallace, and Ty Gibbs are also part of this group and are expected to push hard to secure a victory in one of NASCAR’s prestigious races.
Their aggressive strategies could also complicate matters for those trying to maintain their positions at the front of the pack.
Chase Elliott starts this weekend with a three-point lead over Kyle Larson. Tyler Reddick, who took the Brickyard pole position, is only 15 points behind, while Denny Hamlin trails by 20 and William Byron is 57 points behind Elliott.
All four drivers qualified in the top five on Saturday. Hamlin will start just outside of Reddick, with Elliott, Larson, and Byron, who are teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, lined up next to each other.
While fans are focused on the close competition for the regular-season title, Elliott, the 2020 Cup champion, is focused on avoiding trouble and accumulating points for the postseason.
“I’m aiming to perform at my best, gather as many points as possible, and of course, winning is what counts,” Elliott stated. “The regular-season championship doesn’t hold much importance—it’s all about the points.”
However, for drivers behind the front-runners, every opportunity matters—whether it’s adding points or securing a victory—especially with the Brickyard race returning to Indianapolis’ 2.5-mile oval after three years on the 14-turn road course.
“We need to figure out how to improve as a team,” said Wallace, who qualified 17th, emphasizing the importance of making the most out of every chance left in the season.
