“I want Chase Briscoe to win the championship”: Noah Gragson ready to help his teammate for the title “as much as SHR can” 

Chase Briscoe's teammate Noah Gragson said he's willing to do anything he "reasonably" can to let the former clinch his maiden Cup Series title. The Stewart-Haas Racing teammates will become rivals next year as the team will terminate their operations after the 2024 season.

Of the four SHR drivers, including Josh Berry, Gragson, Briscoe, and Ryan Preece, only Briscoe made the playoffs while others failed to make it through. The #14 Ford driver placed his high-octane ride in the victory lane at the regular season finale hosted by the Darlington Raceway and punched his playoff ticket.

However, the playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway destroyed Briscoe's run after a hard contact with Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver got loose while exiting Turn 2 on Lap 56 and collected the SHR driver's #14 Ford as well. Both drivers ended their race with a DNF.

As a result, Briscoe fell below the playoff cutline. Nonetheless, he surged to a sixth-place finish in the next debacle at Watkins Glen International after starting the 92-lapper from 12th place. Moreover, by posting P8 at Bristol, the two-time Cup Series race winner secured his advancement to the Round of 12.

That said, after the 500-lap battle at Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Chase Briscoe's teammate Noah Gragson expressed his willingness to help the former become the Cup Series champion. He said (via Frontstretch on X).

"I want Chase (Briscoe) to win the championship and we're gonna help him as much as we can reasonably. But at the same time super proud of them (the #14 team) and their efforts. If I can help him on a restart lane, race him easy, that's what I'm going to do. I'm here for him, I'm proud of him, I'm super happy for him and his group." Gragson said (0:18).

Ryan Preece was the only SHR driver who outperformed Briscoe by finishing one place ahead in seventh.

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Chase Briscoe is confident about being a "legitimate championship contender" after a thrilling win at Darlington Raceway

Chase Briscoe's stat preceding the regular season finale race exhibited two top-5s and six top-10s, with the best finish of P2 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Thus, he was below the playoff cutline as his points weren't sufficient to outperform the winless drivers above the threshold. However, things changed at the Darlington race.

After making a triple overtake against Ross Chastain, Kyle Larson, and Ty Gibbs on Lap 342 at the Southern 500, the SHR driver braved the hard challenge from Kyle Busch for 17 consecutive green flag laps and snapped his 93-race winless streak.

Including Chase Briscoe's Darlington race weekend, the #14 Ford driver has clinched one win, a solitary top-5, and three top-10s. After wrapping up his Round of 16 finale in eighth place, the Indiana native portrayed confidence about being a championship contender.

"Before Darlington, I would've said, 'Yeah, like I don't know how we were going to get there (championship)' but after Darlington, what we did, you know winning the way we did and just the competitive side of how good we have been the last four weeks doesn't surprise me at all. I feel like we're legitimate championship contenders," Brisoe said via Matt Weaver on X (0:16).

Chase Briscoe will enter the Round of 12 battle at Kansas Speedway as the last driver below the new elimination line, with a 7-point deficit.