Few names resonate in Indiana motorsports quite like Tony Stewart. The Columbus-born racer built a legacy on grit and an undying connection to his home state. Stewart won everything from IndyCar to NASCAR races, capturing two Brickyard 400 titles, and became a symbol of Hoosier pride. His rise from dirt tracks to Daytona inspired an entire generation of young racers across Indiana. Among them was a young Chase Briscoe, who quietly dreamed of following in his footsteps. Years later, that dream feels closer to reality. After years of longing to deliver a moment of triumph for Indiana fans on the sport’s biggest stage in his home state, Briscoe finally found his breakthrough under the Indianapolis sun this weekend.

This success is part of a season that has transformed his standing in the Cup Series. Before 2025, Briscoe had just one career Cup pole to his name, earned at Phoenix in 2022. Now, during a breakout campaign with Joe Gibbs Racing, he has five poles, all at high-profile races. Namely, the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Nashville, Michigan, and now, the Brickyard 400. From the Indiana short track circuits to the Cup garage, Briscoe’s rise has always felt rooted in persistence. But Indianapolis has remained his white whale. A place where he once won on the road course in Xfinity, but never quite cracked on the iconic oval. To turn this dream into reality on his home turf, Briscoe has secured a big advantage. He now has one thing he never had before: clean air and control, as the Brickyard pole-sitter.

Briscoe steals the pole ahead of a home NASCAR race.

What followed his blazing lap on Saturday was not just a celebration, it was something closer to catharsis. “Truthfully, I’m holding back tears,” Briscoe said moments after stepping out of the car. “It’s just so cool every time I get to come here to just feel the support. I’ve raced at a lot of other racetracks, but no track gives me the love and support this track does. So proud to be a Hoosier from the state of Indiana. This state gets behind its drivers better than anywhere else. So hopefully, I can put on a show for all the Hoosier fans tomorrow.”  A win may have eluded Briscoe all this time at Indiana, but it is clear that there is a very solid foundation of mutual love and support that won’t be lacking tomorrow when he starts at the pole.

To get to that moment, Briscoe had to walk a knife’s edge. Bubba Wallace had just laid down a monster lap. Briscoe studied his data and used it as a reference point. “I was on the edge, and I gave everything I had,” he said. “I knew that I was carrying a lot of throttle, but I was so sideways all the time, I didn’t know if it was going to be that great of a lap. But glad I was able to barely inch out Bubba. He did a really good job. Truthfully, without looking at his data, I probably don’t run the lap that I do.” Chase’s margin over Wallace eventually turned out to be just 0.013 seconds. That sliver of time gave Briscoe something massive. The best shot of his career at delivering a home-state NASCAR race win on the biggest stage Indiana has to offer.

Until now, the Brickyard NASCAR race had been a place of frustration for Briscoe. Despite a 2020 Xfinity win on the road course, he has struggled on the oval, failing to post top-tier results. But with this pole, everything changes. At a track where clean air is critical, Briscoe now holds the upper hand. More than just a strong starting spot, it is solid proof. Briscoe is no longer just a hometown hopeful but a real threat. If he wins on Sunday, it will mark the moment he truly steps into Tony Stewart’s legacy, not just as a successor, but as Indiana’s new racing icon.

Stewart’s successor remains respectful of JGR teammate ahead of Brickyard clash.

Chase Briscoe arrives at the 2025 Brickyard 400 not only as a pole-sitter on home turf but also as a first-year driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. Alongside him on the front row is teammate Denny Hamlin, a NASCAR race veteran also chasing his first oval win at Indianapolis. While they share a garage, the intensity of competition between the two has reached a new level as both eye one of the sport’s crown-jewel victories.

Over the course of the season, Briscoe has grown to respect Hamlin’s meticulous approach. He recently revealed that watching Hamlin reminded Briscoe of his old mentor, Kevin Harvick. “It reminds me a lot of Harvick… the way he goes about prepping for the weekend,” Briscoe shared. “Denny has way more stuff going on outside the track… and he still manages to put the time in week in and week out.” Briscoe couldn’t help but be inspired by the maturity that the veteran has in the sport.

Briscoe admitted that Hamlin’s one particular commitment left an impression on him. “He’s there more than probably anybody, as far as sim work goes,” he noted. “It’s very eye-opening to how into the analytics and the data he is.”  In a high-pressure season where every edge matters, Briscoe seems to have quietly adopted Hamlin’s study habits. He, too, is now recognizing that sustained excellence requires more than just raw talent.

As they line up side-by-side on Sunday, the lines between mentorship and rivalry blur. For Hamlin, it is one of the last chances to conquer the Brickyard. For Briscoe, winning in front of his home crowd would be the ultimate breakthrough. A statement that the next generation is ready to carry the torch.