AVONDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 09: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, (L) and Noah Gragson, driver of the #10 SERVPRO Ford, wait on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images
AVONDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 09: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #14 Mahindra Tractors Ford, (L) and Noah Gragson, driver of the #10 SERVPRO Ford, wait on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children's 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Chase Briscoe talks about his search for a new ride

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, is the last NASCAR driver to win a race at Iowa Speedway when he won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2019. He met with the media on Tuesday and talked about a variety of subject include his search for a new team at the conclusion of this season.

HOW DOES YOUR SITUATION WORK FROM A DRIVER’S STANDPOINT AS FAR AS THE PROCESS? ARE YOU SENDING OUT RESUMES? WAITING FOR PHONE CALLS? HOW DOES IT WORK SEARCHING FOR THAT NEXT OPPORTUNITY? “For me, it’s been no different than what you were saying. Everybody I know I’ve been reaching out and telling them that I was available. I think that was the big thing is up until SHR told us what was happening two weeks ago, I wasn’t allowed to go talk to other people because we didn’t know if there was going to be one charter or two and obviously it ended up being all four, but I didn’t know what the cards were going to be yet. That was the first thing I actually asked when Tony sat all the drivers down and asked if we had any questions. I said, ‘Yeah, what does this mean for us as far as being able to talk to other teams?’ And he said, ‘You guys are free to do whatever you want,’ so literally while I was sitting in the room I started texting different people just letting them know, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be available and need to try to find something.’ It’s really no different. I think you still are trying to put yourself out there and let people know that you’re available and go talk to them and meet them and do whatever you have to do while also trying to perform on the racetrack and show your worth. I definitely think that this is one of the more unique and interesting silly seasons in the fact there are so many drivers. We’ve never really been in that situation where there are this many drivers that are already in the Cup Series looking for a job, and then you also have the normal Xfinity and Truck guys trying to move up, too. I’m just trying to make sure that I’m not left out. I don’t have anything to fall back on. I’m not like some of the other people, where they have family business or something like that and with a two-and-a-half year old and a wife and then twins on the way, I definitely can’t afford to be left out and not have anything, so I’ve just been really trying to do everything I can to put my best effort forward on the ractrack and obviously off the racetrack too and just trying to prove my worth to whoever out there may be looking.”

HAVE YOU HAD ANY COMMITMENT FROM YOUR PARTNERS TO HELP YOU FIND THAT NEXT CHANCE? “There’s not been anything on paper signed, but I think all of them have been pretty happy with the relationship we’ve been able to build over the last couple of years. All of them were definitely willing to talk to whoever it is I end up going to wherever I end up, but I know for a fact there’s not any commitment on paper. And that’s one thing I would say that Mahindra was pretty adamant about was when I started this whole process they were obviously one of the first people I called and they made it pretty clear that they don’t want to be the main topic of discussion. They want a team to hire me because of me and not because of who I can bring, and even from their side they felt like it was better for them when they do go back and try to sell it to the higher ups, if a team comes to me and says, ‘Hey, we want Chase for Chase and not because of Mahindra Tractors or HighPoint.com,’ it was easier for them to internally sell it as well. So, nothing on paper, but I am pretty confident that I have a great enough relationship with the Mahindra Tractors and HighPoint.com and all these people that whatever I end up finding and landing I’m sure there are gonna be discussions there, but nothing really on paper by any means as far as that stuff goes.”

— Ford Performance —