Chase Briscoe praises package at Daytona: 'I had a lot of fun'

NASCAR drivers truly did not know what to expect this weekend at Daytona, as they were racing with a brand new package meant to make things more competitive at the superspeedway.

With every team going in blind, it was impossible to know who, if anyone, would have the advantage with the new package in place, or how they would impact the action on the track.

“I think this weekend has potential to be absolute chaos,” said Denny Hamlin on his podcast in the days leading up to the race. “Just from the words I’m getting and the data I’m seeing on this new package, I think the cars could be far more out of control when they’re trying to push each other, which could cause smoke."

But as Hamlin's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, Chase Briscoe, explained after the race, the new package got high marks on its initial performance review.

"It was a lot of fun, especially that first stage where nobody had a clue what was going on," Briscoe said. "Nobody was saving fuel that first stage. It was fun."

Briscoe said that he felt he had great control the whole night, and that his major concern throughout the race came down to fuel.

"I could make moves, do whatever I wanted. Even at the end of stage two, was able to get pretty dicey," Briscoe said. "We were just in a really bad spot from a fuel standpoint, just how the stages lined out. It made it difficult. If you were going to run hard for stage points, it kind of put you behind from the fuel standpoint. Wish our finish would have been a little bit better, but I had a lot of fun. I had no idea what to expect going into it, but enjoyed it, and looking forward to the next 10 weeks now."

Both Hamlin and Briscoe are in strong position to take down the championship, and all four JGR drivers find themselves in the top six in the standings at the start of the Chase.

Briscoe seems to like how his team is running, and should be confident heading into Darlington next weekend, where he has won the late-summer race two consecutive years.

Watch: Preece wins in chaotic Daytona finish for first points-paying victory

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