Daytona 500: Chase Briscoe gives Toyota its first pole at the 'Great American Race'

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Daytona 500 is one of the crown jewels of the NASCAR Cup Series, and it kicks off the points season this Sunday, Feb. 16.

What they're saying:

"It's a race that every driver dreams of racing at," said Chase Briscoe, NASCAR driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. "It's one of the biggest races in the world. Every Cup race you can win is a big deal, but if you can win the Daytona 500, I mean it literally changes you and your family's life. It's just that big of a deal. There's a lot of pressure that comes along with the Daytona 500, but it's going to be special for me. This will be my fifth Daytona 500 now and it's special every time, but this one's going to be definitely different just because I'm leading the field to green."

Ahead of the race, Chase Briscoe made history.

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On Wednesday, Briscoe netted Toyota its first-ever Daytona 500 pole. 

"For me, this is my first race with Toyota with Joe Gibbs Racing, so to start it off the way we did was really, really neat," said Briscoe. "For me to be able to do that in my first race with them is pretty neat and then Joe Gibbs Racing. Joe has kind of done it all in racing and he's only now had the Daytona 500 pole twice, so to be able to do that is really cool as well. It was a special night last night and hopefully we can continue it on through the week."

It was quite an impactful debut for Briscoe, who, as you heard, is now a part of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Briscoe spent the previous four seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing before they folded last year. 

"From a career standpoint, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me," said Briscoe. "Being able to get into a team like Joe Gibbs Racing, you know it's the equivalent of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics. It's one of those teams that you dream of getting to drive for, so the fact that you know, it all just so happened to work out where my team shuts down and a week later, Martin Truex Jr. decides to retire, it was all just God's timing. It all worked out perfect for me."

Now, he'll get a chance to make a bigger impact with his new team.

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"You're leading the field to green in the biggest race of the year and just from a confidence standpoint and everything, that kind of comes along with that," said Briscoe. "Even the pageantry that comes along with winning the 500 pole, there's a lot of pride that comes with that, so that's been probably the coolest thing, but I don't think it really changes from an expectation or strategy point."

And it doesn't get any sweeter than being the pole sitter in "The Great American Race".

"It’s going to be special, you know, just every Cup race I've ever ran, whether it's the Daytona 500 or not, as we're coming to the green, I always try to look up in the grandstands and take a couple seconds and like realize the magnitude of what we're doing," said Briscoe. "For me to be able to be the one that's leading the field to green, it's going to be special. I don't think it's hit me quite yet, but it certainly will on Sunday."

What's next:

The 67th running of the Daytona 500 can be seen on FOX6 this Sunday.