The first round of the playoffs is done and we are down to the top 12 drivers from the top 16. Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, Brad Keselowski, and Harrison Burton—all the drivers that made it into the playoffs got eliminated after the first round. While Denny Hamlin was in the danger zone, coming in 4th put him back into the competition. Right now, Chase Briscoe is the 12th rank driver in the top 12 and if he does not step his game up, he might not make it into the top 8.
The playoff format is quite challenging, where each driver gets 3 races to prove that they deserve to progress into the next round. That’s what leads to drivers feeling the pressure, and rightfully so. Now that the 33-driver grid is down to its top 12, there was a post on social media that showcased how many points each driver got during the first round. Chase Briscoe was one of the drivers who interacted with the post as he revealed the harsh truth of what went down in Atlanta for him.
Chase Briscoe sees things as they are
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
When a post that showed how many points each driver scored in the first round of the playoffs surfaced on Reddit, Chase Briscoe was one to entertain it with a comment. While fans were rooting for their favorite drivers in the comments, Briscoe’s statement drew a few of them toward what he said.
Loading quiz…
On the post that showed all the points earned by drivers over the last 3 races, Alex Bowman emerged as the highest scorer with 120 points in the bag. This works in his favor as he is in the playoffs, and this directly affects his position in the top 12. Second to Bowman is Ross Chastain who did not make it into the playoffs on account of not winning a race or scoring enough points all year long.
Chase Briscoe stands 9th on this chart and that is only because of what happened at Atlanta. So when the SHR driver saw the chart, he made a comment on the Reddit post saying, “Only got 1 point at Atlanta.” Although Briscoe made it into the top 12, his performance at Atlanta gave his team a scare. Due to an incident with Kyle Larson during the early stages of the race, Briscoe had a DNF, but where he scored points, were in the next two races.
via Getty CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA, MAY 25: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #14 Mahindra Compact Tractors Ford, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, 2024, in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Briscoe finished 6th at Watkins Glen and 8th at Bristol, and this was enough for him to score the 9th most points among all the drivers in the last 3 races. Despite scoring just 1 point at Atlanta, he sits at 80 points scored in the last 3 races. This makes Briscoe 9th on the Reddit chart, but it still leaves him 12th in the top 12, which is not a place he would like to be. However, there are 3 races left where he can catch up with the rest.
Fans took notice of Briscoe’s comment on the post and many started to reply to him. Also, there were some who had a few things to say about the standings, and here is what came of it.
Fans analyze the round 1 points of the playoffs
Trending
Looking at Chase Briscoe’s comment on the post, a few of his fans started to make witty comments to cheer the mood. It’s obvious that Briscoe made his statement because he was unhappy with the result, and to cheer him up, a fan said, “The real points are the friends you make along the way.”
Another fan posted a comment that read, “[goat emoji] activities.” The goat emoji was used to call the SHR driver one of the “Greatest Of All Time,” and the fact that Briscoe came clean about his defeat makes fans respect him all the more.
This fan did the math to calculate how many points Briscoe scored in just two races. They commented, “79 points in 2 races is outstanding. I might have to switch my 14 flair to a more recent one (or a 19 one next year) if this keeps going.” The impressed fan also said that they might change their Reddit profile flair, which was in support of Briscoe’s No. 14 car to his future car No. 19 with JGR.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
via Getty CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, JULY 06: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #14 Mahindra Compact Tractors Ford, waves to fans as he walks onstage during the NCS Driver Engagement on the Main Stage at the Chicago Street Course on July 06, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Although Chase Briscoe made a comment that started gaining a lot of traction, some fans shared their opinion about other drivers. This fan of Ross Chastain was left with mixed feelings when the driver made it to P2 on the Round 1 charts without being in the playoffs. This was clear in their comment that read, “Should I be happy that Ross is 2nd or just incredibly frustrated? I don’t know.”
One fan of Alex Bowman compared the Round 1 chart to the driver’s situation, saying, “Bowman has the most points, yet people are still going to try to kick him out of his seat.” Despite Bowman’s strong performance this season, some fans want to see Hendrick Motorsports look another way. This fan stands up for Bowman, hoping that the team notices his talents after looking at this chart.
ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad
With that said, do you think Chase Briscoe will monetize the coming races and make it all the way up? Share your thoughts in the comments below.