NASCAR: 4 possible landing spots for Chase Briscoe in 2021

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Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR, Cup Series (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

Chase Briscoe 2021 landing spots – Hendrick Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports are in a unique position when it comes to their 2021 NASCAR Cup Series driver lineup. Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson is set to retire after the 2020 season, and his #48 Chevrolet is already fully backed by Ally Financial through the 2023 season.

So Rick Hendrick can effectively pick whichever driver he wants to replace the 44-year-old El Cajon, California native. While several of the previous top free agents have signed elsewhere, Chase Briscoe is still in the mix.

Briscoe has worked his way into the discussion to replace the seven-time champion because of his extensive success in the Xfinity Series this season as the clear top driver.

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There were questions surrounding the overall talent of NASCAR’s second highest level this season following the departure of the “Big 3”, but Briscoe has silenced those questions.

Two of Hendrick’s three contracted drivers for next year are products — and champions — of the JR Motorsports Xfinity Series team, with those two drivers being Chase Elliott and William Byron. But given the current JR Motorsports roster and the fact that Noah Gragson recently signed a deal to return to the team, it doesn’t look like Johnson’s replacement will be coming from that pool.

Justin Allgaier made sense as Johnson’s replacement for one race after he tested positive for COVID-19, but not so much in a full-time role. As for Gragson, he has the talent to justify a promotion, but he still needs time to mature into a complete driver, and his recent extension illustrates that they realize that. As for Michael Annett, he really has never been in the discussion.

While we could theoretically see Alex Bowman shift from the #88 Chevrolet to the #48 Chevrolet, we could also see him pick up enough sponsorship to stay with the #88 team and not need to move to the already full-backed #48 car. He does, after all, already have a deal in place to return to the organization next year anyway, and regardless, Johnson still needs a replacement.

In the case of Bowman picking up additional sponsorship, the formula for Briscoe to leave Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford and sign with Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet would be that much more simple. His current contract does tie him to Ford as opposed to Stewart-Haas Racing specifically, but if they can’t find room for him, that opens the door for this switch.

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Where will Chase Briscoe end up in the 2021 NASCAR season? Will he stay with Stewart-Haas Racing, and if so, will he do so at the sport’s second highest level of competition, or will he be promoted to the top? If not, will he end up in the Cup Series anyway with Go Fas Racing, or will he be the man to land the coveted seat as the replacement for Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports?

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