Driver controversy after Phoenix has Erik Jones a bit frustrated with Chase Briscoe. But Briscoe doesn’t see it the same way. The two NASCAR drivers are on opposite wavelengths on this one.
Is it a driver beef if only one driver acknowledges it? Well, that’s the question we are faced with here as Erik Jones called out Chase Briscoe after the Phoenix race.
Jones made postrace comments about Briscoe having an “issue” with him seemingly every week. He then said he was going to call the Stewart-Haas driver, but didn’t expect a phone call in return.
“I don’t know what I did, I know we were four wide at one point, I got super tight and got into him I think but I don’t know if that’s the part he’s mad about or what,” Briscoe said via Frontstretch. “If he calls me I’ll gladly answer, I’ve never really talked to Erik before I don’t have a problem with him at all.
“I feel like we definitely are always kinda racing around each other. Yeah, I’m racing hard, I’m trying to do what’s best for my guys, last year I kind of let people go and this year I’m not doing that. The guys that run up front are the guys that are the most aggressive and I’m going back to those ways. I don’t know what part he’s mad about I know that we were four wide at one point over there, and I got really tight and he got wrecked the next lap by the guy right behind me.”
So, what is going on here? Is this the start of a new rivalry between Jones and Briscoe? Right now, it feels like a one-sided argument.
Chase Briscoe earns another top-10 finish
For the second time this season, Chase Briscoe did find himself in the top-10. Briscoe started this race P8 and would come across the finish line P9. While this was a day dominated by Toyota, the Fords came on late in this one, taking five of those ten spots.
In the end, Christopher Bell ended up running away with the race. Bell fought his way to the front in Stage 2 and in the final stage after a bad pit stop and caution flags put him down in the field. However, it wasn’t long until Bell was back in front.
With the fourth race of the season, we have four winners in the Cup Series. Now that we have a small sample size, I think we can start making conclusions. Stewart-Haas Racing is improved.
Between Chase Briscoe and Noah Gragson, the two have combined for four top-10 finishes this season. It has extended to fast qualifying times, and hopefully, the No. 4 and No. 41 cars come around eventually.
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