Mahindra Tractors Racing: Chase Briscoe Talladega Advance

CHASE BRISCOE
Talladega Advance
No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing

Event Overview

● Event: GEICO 500 (Round 10 of 36)

● Time/Date: 3 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 23

● Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway

● Layout: 2.66-mile oval

● Laps/Miles: 188 laps/500 miles

● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps

● TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Notes of Interest

● Chase Briscoe and the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) earned their second straight top-five finish last Sunday at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The 28-year-old driver jumped to 14th in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings after earning his best finish at the half-mile track, leading 109 laps earning valuable bonus points during the first two stages of the race.

● Now the No. 14 team heads to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, the largest oval on the NASCAR circuit, with a special Mahindra Tractors scheme carrying the theme “You Old Goat,” en hommage to team co-owner Tony Stewart. Over the last two years, the three-time Cup Series champion has shared the spotlight with his driver in Mahindra’s national TV spots, and Briscoe typically has been on the receiving end of Stewart’s jokes. While Briscoe has been known to get in his jabs at the boss, he decided to take it a step further with a scheme designed to show “Smoke” who is really in charge.

● Stewart will get to enjoy his last venture of the 2023 season in the FOX broadcast booth with a magnificent view of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors “You Old Goat” Ford Mustang circling the track, featuring his own likeness smiling back at him while clad in a red bath robe from the side of the racecar.

● The ultimate payback would be Briscoe hauling Stewart’s fan mail all the way to victory lane on Sunday. It’s the breakthrough run he’s looking for after one top-10 finish in four Cup Series starts at Talladega, and one top-five result in four Xfinity Series starts at the 2.66-mile oval.

Chase Briscoe, Driver of the No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:

Where did the idea for this paint scheme come from?

“We all know Tony has done some great things on track, and he was given a lot of opportunities to pick on me a little in all the Mahindra commercials we’ve done, so I really wanted the chance to get back at him a little. He’s a prankster and his brain is always working, always finding a way to make a joke about something, and I felt like this was the perfect way to give him a taste of his own medicine. And it’ll be nice that he gets to watch me drive around Talladega in his car with his face on the side of it.”

By now, we all know who the “Old Goat” is. Where did that line come from?

“We were filming one of the first Mahindra Tractors commercials and there was a moment where we were going back and forth with each other. The director told me to call him an old goat and I thought it was so strange. I didn’t think there was any way it would be used, it’s just not something I would normally say, but that’s the line they used and it’s stuck. I’ll be at the track, and fans come up talking about the commercials and Tony being an old goat.”

The scheme is a great way to highlight Tony and his personality and yours. But when it comes to the racing we’ve seen lately, you’ve really seemed to hit your stride. Are we seeing a turnaround for the No. 14 team?

“I think short tracks have been our strong suit the last few years, so it’s not surprising, but I do think we’re finding some things. It makes the timing of getting to run this scheme that much better. It gives us a chance to have fun while staying committed to doing well and focused on what we’ve got to do on track. We’ve had some good races and really pushed through a lot the last few weeks. Now we can go to Talladega, where it’s going to be nonstop hard racing, and do our best to stay out of trouble and maybe take Tony to victory lane.”

No. 14 Mahindra Tractors Team Roster

Primary Team Members

Driver: Chase Briscoe
Hometown: Mitchell, Indiana

Crew Chief: John Klausmeier
Hometown: Perry Hall, Maryland

Car Chief: J.D. Frey
Hometown: Ferndale, California

Engineer: Mike Cook
Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland

Spotter: Joey Campbell
Hometown: Berlin, Connecticut

Over-The-Wall Members

Front Tire Changer: Shayne Pipala
Hometown: Frankfort Square, Illinois

Rear Tire Changer: Dakota Ratcliff
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Tire Carrier: Jon Bernal
Hometown: Shelby, North Carolina

Jack Man: Dylan Moser
Hometown: Monroe, North Carolina