INDIANAPOLIS – Mimicking what his hero Tony Stewart did twice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Chase Briscoe climbed the fence after winning Saturday’s Xfinity Series race on the track.
But unlike Stewart, who looked at a sea of cheering fans, Briscoe only saw empty, gray bleachers and only heard the screams of his crew members joining him on the climb.
The culmination of a historic double game with the NTT IndyCar series and Xfinity series also spelled the end of a day, and July 4th, unlike any other on the famous racing circuit.
No NASCAR racing fan has become common during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the sight, and the lack of sound, at Indy was harsh.
Sunday’s Cup race will have no fans. Nor will he have seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who announced Friday that he and his wife have contracted the coronavirus.
Johnson says he is asymptomatic, but admits he has more questions than answers about how he and his wife contracted the virus and when he will be able to compete again. Sunday was his last Cup start in a race he won four times.
Johnson will be missed. So will the fans. Just as they were on Saturday.
Fans provide a soundtrack for any event, including a race where engine noise dominates. There was no roar from the crowd when the command to start the engines was made. There is no cheering for the winner when he got out of his car in the victory lane. No oohs and ahhs when the top four cars in the Xfinity race navigated the long straight front on a hairpin turn to the right with two laps remaining, scrambling for victory.
The only sound came from the engines echoing in the barrel of empty seats.
Even in the smallest environments, interactions were lost. When Scott Dixon won the IndyCar race earlier in the day, his team, unable to stay in victory lane due to protocols, stood on a ladder 20 feet above him and applauded.
When Briscoe won, there was no family to greet him. Two years ago, her father was in tears as he watched Briscoe drive in Indy. One could only imagine what his reaction would have been on Saturday.
“My family is probably crying at home, “said Briscoe, an Indiana native.” I was thinking about that the last few laps. That’s tough. I wish they could have been here to experience it. It’s something that will never happen again. It’s definitely bittersweet to win without them here ”.
If he wins again at Indy, it is most likely with Stewart-Haas Racing. Greg Zipadelli, SHR Chief Competition Officer, served as Briscoe’s interim team leader because Richard Boswell was serving the final race of a four-race suspension and expressed his support for Briscoe.
“I think he is still young and has a lot to learn, but I am very, very impressed with how fast he is learning to compete with these stock cars,” said Zipadelli. “I hope it will be part of Stewart-Haas for a long period of time.”
What makes Briscoe, only the second driver to win five of the first 13 races of a season in the Xfinity Series, stand out?
“He is able to dig deep,” said Zipadelli. “There are some people who when it comes time to close, I see a lot in him, he finds a little more. He is very confident but is not cocky, which I love. Above all, he is just a good racing driver. “
While IndyCar had been run in this course, this was new to the Xfinity Series. Briscoe had been preparing for this race since February, spending time weekly in the Ford simulator driving the 14-lap, 2,439-mile course. Training came when Briscoe battled AJ Allmendinger, Austin Cindric and Justin Haley for the late lead.
Even though Haley finished second behind Briscoe, he still enjoyed the afternoon.
“I have no complaints about the Indy circuit,” said Haley. “I thought it was an incredible day
“When the fans come back, I think it will be better.”
Briscoe said he can’t wait for fans to return to this track and elsewhere.
“They are the reason you celebrate and the last two times I really don’t celebrate because without the fans they don’t get me excited,” he said. “Here he was obviously excited. I wish there were fans here. “
Still, Briscoe would still have a celebration.
A former dirt track racer, Briscoe planned to visit a dirt track Saturday night about an hour’s drive from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“My little sister decided she wanted to try driving a race car,” said Briscoe. “At the end of the night, she will drive a mini sprint over there for 20 or 30 laps. I’m going to go there and see a lot of my friends that I can no longer see and go out with my dad and my family. “
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