Dearborn, MI — October 20, 2020
With Clint Bowyer’s announcement that he was leaving the Stewart-Haas Racing for the Fox Broadcast booth after this season, the speculation immediately began as to who would fill the seat in the #14 Ford Mustang. We did not have to wait long to find out as an announcement from Blue Oval headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan tabbed Chase Briscoe to pilot the car in 2021.
Briscoe currently leads the Xfinity points standings and is locked into the championship final at Phoenix by virtue of his win at Kansas this past weekend. Here is the official announcement from Ford Performance.
Chase Briscoe Announcement
When Ford Performance announced on Jan. 12, 2017 that Chase Briscoe had been signed as its first development driver, the hope was he would one day end up in the NASCAR Cup Series.
That day has arrived as Briscoe was announced as the new driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang this morning, replacing Clint Bowyer, who is moving to the Fox broadcast booth next season.
“Even though Chase had limited experience running on pavement, we knew he had the natural talent to make the transition,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Our philosophy was to get him in as many different types of cars and trucks as we could while also exposing him to our technical tools like the simulator to get him as much experience as possible and it’s paid off.”
Briscoe, who by his own estimation had only 25 starts on pavement before being signed by Ford Performance, quickly took to his new environment that featured a variety of different disciplines. He started by running a full season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for owner Brad Keselowski and scored his first win in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
The following year saw him run a hybrid schedule in which he split time in the NASCAR Xfinity and IMSA Continental Tire Challenge Series, driving GT4 Mustangs. That experience helped hone his road racing skills and led to his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
The last two years have seen him run full-time in Xfinity, where he’s produced 10 wins including Saturday’s race at Kansas Speedway that locked him into the Championship 4. Briscoe’s nine victories in 2020 are not only the most among series drivers but is also a Ford single-season record, breaking the previous high of eight set by Carl Edwards in 2011.
“We had high expectations for Chase and it’s gratifying not only to myself but to all of our Ford Performance team members who helped get him to this position,” said Rushbrook. “Nobody is harder on Chase than himself, but it’s that constant drive to win which has got him to this point and will continue to make him successful at the Cup level. There’s still a lot of work to be done, including winning the Xfinity championship in a few weeks, but we couldn’t be prouder of how things have turned out so far.”
In storybook fashion, Briscoe will be driving the same car his childhood idol and now boss, Tony Stewart, drove during part of his NASCAR Hall of Fame career.
“It’s so crazy and unbelievable how everything has worked out. I grew up a diehard Tony Stewart fan and he’s always been my hero,” said Briscoe, who grew up in Mitchell, IN, just outside of Indianapolis. “My family has always been a Ford family, and I’ll never forget when I first got signed by Ford. I would always tell people that my dream was to drive for Stewart-Haas Racing and the icing on the cake would be if it was in the 14 car. I can’t believe that’s really happening.”
He’ll make his debut on Feb. 14, 2021, in the season-opening Daytona 500.
CHASE BRISCOE DRIVER DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE
Jan. 12, 2017 – Ford Performance signs Chase Briscoe to a development contract.
Feb. 24, 2017 – Makes his NASCAR debut driving the No. 29 Ford F-150 for owner Brad Keselowski at Daytona.
Nov. 17, 2017 – Wins his first NASCAR race, the Ford 200 Truck Series event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Dec. 9, 2019 – Named NASCAR Truck Series most popular driver and winner of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.
Jan. 26, 2018 – Competes in his first IMSA event driving a GT4 Mustang at Daytona.
July 18, 2018 – Wins the Eldora Dirt Derby in the NASCAR Truck Series.
Sept. 29, 2018 – Wins the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Charlotte Roval.
Oct. 17, 2020 – Wins his ninth NASCAR Xfinity Series race of the season, setting a Ford single-season record and automatically advancing to the Championship 4.
