Chase Briscoe catches 'Hail Mary' to escape playoff scare at NASCAR Charlotte Roval race

After sitting on the cusp of elimination for a long time during the Bank of America Roval 400, Stewart-Haas racing driver Chase Briscoe claimed advancing into the Round of 8 at Charlotte Motor Speedway felt better than winning a race. The 400-mile-long race at the 2.28-mile road course saw major changes to the playoff drivers' table, with big names such as Kyle Larson and Daniel Suarez failing to advance to the next round.

Chase Briscoe sat just below the cut-off line for the next round going into last Sunday's race. A P9 finish, however, meant he was able to make the cut with other Round of 12 drivers having a substandard day in the office. After finishing in P7 and P8 in the first two stages of the race, Briscoe managed to collect decent points to set him up for contention in the final laps of the race, hoping for a little bit of good luck going into the same.

Larson and Suarez suffered mechanical issues on the track and dropped out of the top 30. The #14 Ford Mustang driver then caught his lucky break and managed to advance with his ultimate P9 finish. He elaborated on how he felt post-race and said:

“I feel happier than I ever have when I’ve won a race before truthfully, I know what this team is capable of, especially in the next round.”

Chase Briscoe also touched upon how the race looked from his perspective after the final restart and said:

“I just knew I had to go. It was a tough spot for the non-playoff guys, I put the #43 in a bad spot and myself in a bad spot and I was just shoving him because I had to get going knowing that every spot was going to make a difference. I shoved him out of the way and then it got the #3 by both of us. Then I had the back straightaway left to do a ‘Hail Mary’. I thought I was going over the curb and have to serve a stop-and-go. Somehow, the thing stuck. Definitely drove it in way further than I had all day knowing that every point was going to matter. What a day.”

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Chase Briscoe's crew chief elaborates on the highs and lows of 2022 NASCAR Bank of America Roval 400

Johnny Klausmeier, Chase Briscoe's crew chief at Stewart-Haas Racing, outlined the importance of managing points for the #14 crew throughout the 400-mile-long race in Concord, North Carolina. Klausmeier was as ecstatic as Briscoe when the team managed to advance into the Round of 8 after being on the cusp all day long and said:

“We were floating around the plus-three mark just kinda doing everything we needed to do and then got wrecked by the No. 3 car. So it’s kinda the highest of highs and lowest of lows right there in that moment. We came and got tires on it and let him know what he needed to do to advance and with the No. 20 car winning, there were a couple of scenarios. Chase and everybody just rallied behind him there and he had a heck of a drive at the end.”

Watch Chase Briscoe compete in the NASCAR Round of 8 next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for South Point 400.