Tony Stewart-star Chase Briscoe reflects on blame for last Atlanta wreck, claims he learned key playoff lesson

Ahead of his final playoff campaign with Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe has reflected on the lessons learned from his early-season crash in Atlanta and discussed how it has shaped his approach to the playoffs.

In the second race of the season, Briscoe was running inside the top five with 20 laps to go for the checkered flag. The #14 SHR Ford driver had been making bold moves all day, however, it was his ambitious four-wide move during Stage 3 that ultimately resulted in a wreck and a disappointing 31st-place result.

As NASCAR returns to Atlanta for the playoff opener, Chase Briscoe reflected on key learnings from his previous visit to the track. With the benefit of hindsight, Briscoe stated he wouldn't change his aggressive approach but would avoid making such a risky move during the playoffs. Speaking to Bob Pockrass, the #14 Ford driver said:

"I don't think I would change how I necessarily approach that race, as far as being really aggressive and making moves. My car was obviously really good. I do think it was a really good lesson I learned. At that last race, I put myself in a really, really bad spot. The risk vs. reward was not there. It could have worked [then] it would've been great but the risk was way more and that's something that, especially during the playoffs you can't dig yourself into a hole."

"Learning that lesson [in] the first race, I think it will be good for me going back just understanding. In that position, again I would have probably lifted and just stayed behind Bubba [Wallace]. I definitely think that was a good lesson to learn, I didn't understand that lesson at the time probably but now I certainly do." he added.

Watch Briscoe's Atlanta wreck in the below video:

Here's what Tony Stewart's #14 driver said:

Chase Briscoe qualified for the playoffs by winning the regular season finale and enters the playoffs as the #13 seed with five bonus points. The Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway is scheduled for this Sunday, September 8, at 3:00 PM ET.

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Chase Briscoe comments on Ford's diminishing support for SHR

With Stewart Haas Racing closing shop at the end of the season, Chase Briscoe and the team will have fewer resources from Ford. Amid the exodus of team personnel and the reduced manufacturer support, Briscoe commented on how it would affect his playoff campaign.

The 29-year-old acknowledged changes in their relationship with Ford, stating it will be tougher to build a race-winning car without full manufacturer support in the playoffs. He told Bob Pockrass:

"There's been some things that have happened for sure. We're still able to win races. It might be a little tougher to do. We're trying to piece together some things that before would probably have been a little bit easier to piece together. We're kind of doing that on our own now.”

Gene Haas will continue his affiliation with Ford next season, fielding a single Cup Series car under the Haas Factory team banner, with a technical alliance with RFK Racing.