Chase Briscoe offers contrasting view as Chase Elliott questions throwback weekend’s relevance

Modified Apr 05, 2025 17:05 GMT

NASCAR: Cup Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn — Chase Briscoe at Phoenix Raceway on Mar 8, 2025. Image: Imagn

NASCAR Cup Series drivers Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott recently shared their disparate notions about whether the event is still fun and exciting as NASCAR heads into its annual Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway.

NASCAR has celebrated Throwback Weekend by bringing back old-school car designs since 2015 to honor racing history and Joe Gibbs Racing's Briscoe believes that fans still look forward to it. Frontstretch's Dalton Hopkins shared Briscoe's take on the event on X.

"I don't think so. ... I still think there's a ton of buy-in still. ... I think just trying to find ways to keep it exciting is hard, right? ... I think that fans still love the paint schemes that are here," Chase Briscoe said.

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On the other hand, when Chase Elliott was asked if the weekend had lost its charm, he pointed out that the idea was exciting for the first few years.

"I thought I lost it about four or five years ago. So I was way too early to that conversation. I think not to be a downer...and I joked about this before, you know, years ago, but like, if we kept going down the road, we're going to be throwing it back to me in like 2018...You know, at some point I think we got to chill on it a little bit. I think we've, I think we've rode the horse to death and, we tend to do that a little bit too much," Chase Elliott said (via Kyle Dalton on X).

Elliott will sport Ken Schrader's 1994 throwback paint scheme in Hendrick Motorsports' Chevrolet No. 9 this week at the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) oval track in South Carolina.

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The eighth race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Goodyear 400, will start at 3:30 pm on Sunday, April 6.

"Everything changes after you win"- Chase Briscoe on Darlington victory

Chase Briscoe (14) celebrates after winning the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway - Source: Imagn

Chase Briscoe will move to Darlington Speedway after winning the fall race at the track last year. He claimed his second win in the NASCAR Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) and broke a 73-race winless streak at the Southern 500.

"The confidence that came from winning that race, even the respect level in the garage. Everything changes after you win at Darlington, let alone the Southern 500. People just look at you differently," Chase Briscoe said (via AP News).

Briscoe debuted in the Cup Series in 2021 and received the Rookie of the Year. His first win in the series came the following year at Phoenix Raceway.

Briscoe joined Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) after SHR shut down at the end of the 2024 season and downsized as Haas Factory Team this year. The 30-year-old is currently in his fifth full-time Cup season and first with JGR. He earned his third top-10 finish last week at Martinsville Speedway and is ranked 12th in the points standings.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar