Pole winner Chase Briscoe plans to be 'aggressive' from the front at Daytona

After coming into Daytona and winning the pole, Chase Briscoe has a walk-off win into the NASCAR Playoffs on his mind. Briscoe was top of the field. In a final qualifying round that included seven Ford Mustangs, the No. 14 was a step above the rest.

The top three cars in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 qualifying were all Ford. It is an all-Stewart-Haas Racing front row with Aric Almirola on the outside of Chase Briscoe. Harrison Burton is right there in third and then you have Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs rounding out the top-5.

Briscoe knows that all of those drivers have yet to win and will all be vying for the win. So, he’s got to be aggressive and willing to hold his ground from the start of the race.

“I’m just going to be super aggressive all day, try to keep my track position up front and make them beat me,” Briscoe told the media. “Starting on the front row, it definitely makes it a little bit easier, you’re not coming from behind from the get-go.

“So, having Aric up there, having all [five] Stewart-Haas cars in the top-10, I think we had nine of the top twelve [were] Fords. That’s huge, especially being the pole sitter. Hopefully, I can use all of that to my advantage and hopefully, like I said be there at the end. That’s when it pays the most is at the end not lap one, not one hundred, it’s the last lap. So, we gotta be there at the end.”

Chase Briscoe will lead the field to green today from the pole, and he plans to be aggressive all day as he seeks a win-and-into-the-playoffs moment. pic.twitter.com/BPH9Lfy2pr

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 26, 2023

Chase Briscoe will try to win from the pole and make his way into the playoffs.

Chase Briscoe can salvage SHR’s season

With just Kevin Harvick in playoff position right now, Stewart-Haas Racing has a lot of thinking to do. There are rumors that the team is looking to sell two of their charters, downsize, and maybe even change manufacturers. While that is all Silly Season gossip, it is good to keep in mind.

This season has not been the best season for Stewart-Haas. Last year they had two cars in the playoffs. This season, it looks like they are heading for just one driver. That is unless Briscoe gets this improbable win at Daytona to close out the regular season.

If Chase Briscoe goes on to win tonight and make the playoffs, it would somewhat salvage his season. Last year, if you remember, his playoff run was marred a bit by the Cole Custer penalty from the Roval where Custer tried to slow up other playoff drivers to help his teammate advance. It didn’t work, but the intent was there.

Is aggression going to help Briscoe punch his way to the postseason tonight?