NASCAR: 5 more drivers who could get their first win in 2021
By Bryce Turner
Possible first-time NASCAR Cup Series winners: #3 – Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe is in his first NASCAR Cup Series season, replacing the retired Clint Bowyer in the #14 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing. He had a breakout year in Xfinity Series last year, winning a series-high nine races and recording 16 top five finishes, 22 top 10 finishes and an average finish of 8.4, although he came up short of winning the championship in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Briscoe’s 2019 Xfinity Series teammate and now current Cup Series teammate Cole Custer is the most recent rookie Cup Series winner, grabbing a surprise victory at Kentucky Speedway last season.
If Briscoe follows his lead and grabs a checkered flag, that first win could happen on a road course or at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He won in his only Truck Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2017 and has one win, three top 10 finishes and an average finish of 8.8 in four Xfinity Series starts at the track. The #14 team have also run well there with Bowyer, recording two top 10 finishes and an average finish of 9.3 in four starts.
Another spot where both team and driver have had consistency is on road courses. Briscoe has two wins, seven top 10 finishes and an average finish of 9.5 in 10 Xfinity Series road course starts, including a victory in last year’s inaugural race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. His other win came in the inaugural race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in 2018.
For the #14 team, they have five top five finishes, seven top 10 finishes and an average finish of 7.5 in 10 road course races with Bowyer. Prior to that, Tony Stewart’s final Cup Series win came in the #14 car at the Sonoma Raceway road course in 2016.