From Dirt Tracks to NASCAR: Chase Briscoe's Story of Grit and Family

 

Long before Chase Briscoe raced at NASCAR's highest level, he was a kid in Indiana surrounded by sprint cars. The racetrack was a familiar place. Working on race cars was part of life. And the lessons he learned from his family would prove just as important as anything he learned behind the wheel.

Today, Briscoe drives the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. But his rise to the top of stock car racing didn’t happen overnight. It took years of persistence, paying his dues in the shop and an internal drive to do whatever the job required.

Through it all, the connection between family, racing and WIX Filters has come full circle.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Racing runs in the family. Chase Briscoe grew up around Indiana sprint car racing, a tradition his family has been part of since 1976.
• Briscoe’s road to NASCAR demanded persistence. Before getting his opportunity behind the wheel, Briscoe spent years working and volunteering in race shops.
• WIX Filters connects his racing roots to his career today. Briscoe used the brand in his early racing days and continues to trust it both on the track and at home.
• The next generation matters. As a father, Briscoe is passing along the same hands-on lessons that shaped his own childhood.

Racing Has Always Been in His Blood

For some drivers, racing begins with a dream. For Chase Briscoe, it began with family.

Growing up in Indiana, he was immersed in sprint car racing from an early age. His family's involvement in the sport dates back to 1976. More than a weekend pastime, dirt-track racing was a tradition that connected generations.

“For me, sprint car racing was, I think, my first love in motorsports. Ever since I was literally a baby, I was going to sprint car races.”

—Chase Briscoe, NASCAR Cup Series Driver, Job Gibbs Racing

Those early years gave Briscoe an appreciation for the work happening away from the grandstands. Racing wasn't simply about climbing into a car and going fast. It meant understanding the equipment, paying attention to the smallest details and putting in the hours required to get ready for the next race.

There was another reality, too: His family didn't have unlimited money to support his racing ambitions. If Briscoe wanted to make a career of it, he would have to find his own way.

That determination would carry him far beyond the Indiana dirt tracks where it all started.

From Sweeping Floors to Racing in NASCAR

Making it to NASCAR required more than driving talent.

Briscoe moved to the Charlotte area to pursue an opportunity in racing, but there was no guaranteed seat waiting for him. He slept on couches and volunteered at race shops, taking on whatever work needed to be done.

Sometimes that meant sweeping floors. Other times it meant working on cars. For roughly three and a half years, much of his effort went into helping other people race while searching for his own chance.

It was hardly the glamorous side of motorsports. But the experience gave him something valuable: an understanding of how much work goes into keeping a race car competitive.

Briscoe eventually earned his way into NASCAR's national series. He won the 2016 ARCA Menards Series championship, made his NASCAR Cup Series debut as a full-time driver in 2021 and earned his first Cup Series victory at Phoenix Raceway in 2022.

When you're willing to sweep the floor to stay close to the sport you love, you learn to make the most of every opportunity.

Why the Details Matter on Race Day

Briscoe's experience working on race cars also shaped how he thinks about maintenance.

As a sprint car owner, he understands the financial pressure of racing. Engines are expensive. Equipment takes a beating. And overlooking a routine maintenance task can create a much bigger problem down the road.

That's why changing oil and checking filters were important parts of the routine. In his sprint car operation, oil and filters were changed after every race. Briscoe learned firsthand that taking care of equipment isn't an optional extra, and quality parts contribute to higher performance.

“When you try to save a buck on the short end of it, it always ends up costing you way more on the other end.”

—Chase Briscoe, NASCAR Cup Series Driver, Job Gibbs Racing

WIX Filters was part of that approach in his family's early racing days. Now, as a NASCAR driver partnered with WIX Filters, Briscoe has another perspective on the demands placed on filtration products.

A NASCAR race puts equipment through sustained high-speed operation. Briscoe knows that the people working behind the scenes need to be able to trust the components they choose.

For him, that confidence is based on years of using WIX Filters in vehicles and understanding the details are worth the investment.

From the Racetrack to the Driveway

The lessons Briscoe learned in racing don't stay at the racetrack.

At home, he still enjoys working on his own equipment. From his pickup and tractor to his side-by-side and boat, he approaches maintenance with the same attention that mattered in the race shop.

WIX Filters remains part of that routine. They’re engineered for experts on and off the track—for owners who put performance first in their personal and professional vehicles.

The connection is especially meaningful because changing an oil filter was among the first hands-on jobs Briscoe performed on a race car. Today, the brand he knew from those early days is connected to his NASCAR career.

It's a reminder of how far he's traveled without leaving behind the practical knowledge that helped him get there.

Passing Down the Lessons

These days, some of Briscoe's most meaningful moments with vehicles happen far from the noise of a NASCAR race.

When he works under the hood at home, his young son sometimes joins him. It's a familiar scene in a new generation: a father showing his child how things work and why taking care of your machines matters.

For Briscoe, those moments bring back memories of working around cars with his own father and grandfather in Indiana.

“Every time I do something maintenance-wise or work on a vehicle, it just reminds me of getting to spend time with them.”

—Chase Briscoe, NASCAR Cup Series Driver, Job Gibbs Racing

He hopes to pass along more than mechanical knowledge. He wants his children to understand the value of hard work, the responsibility that comes with owning something and the importance of paying attention to details.

A boy who grew up around sprint cars became a driver at NASCAR's highest level. Now, he's a father sharing the same kind of hands-on experiences that helped shape him.

That's what makes Briscoe's story come full circle. Racing gave him a career, but the values he learned along the way are what he gets to carry forward.

And whether the work happens in a NASCAR garage or a driveway at home, having equipment you trust remains part of getting the job done right.

Bring that same attention to your own maintenance. To find the right filter for your own vehicle or equipment, check out our filter finder.