Competitor helps Chase Briscoe’s wife over Darlington Pit Road wall

In NASCAR, it’s become increasingly common for the race winner, when a driver scores a victory, to be greeted by his family as they celebrate on the frontstretch following their victory burnouts and televised interviews. Following a playoff-defining performance in Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe was greeted by his wife, Marissa, but if it weren’t for the kindness of a fellow competitor, the touching family moment might not have happened.

After the race, Marissa Briscoe, who is due to give birth to twins in a month, attempted to climb over the pit wall at the 1.366-mile racetrack. At most tracks, this wouldn’t be a big deal. However, the pit wall at Darlington is significantly higher than most racetracks, and even attempting to climb over the barrier while not pregnant is a difficult feat.

Briscoe’s fellow driver Michael McDowell, who like Briscoe has won two NASCAR Cup Series races, stepped in. The driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse climbed between the pit wall and the SAFER barrier and, with the help of a member of the AMR Safety Team, helped Marissa Briscoe over the wall to celebrate with her husband.

After footage of McDowell assisting Marissa Briscoe surfaced on social media, the 39-year-old driver received an outpouring of praise from fans at X. In an interview Tuesday with Racing America On SI, McDowell downplayed his good deed.

“I mean, really, I saw her go between the front of my car and the back of Austin Dillon’s car. And I just looked at the damage on the right side and relaxed a little bit. And she looked at me and said, ‘Michael, can you help me get over the wall? I don’t think I can get over the wall,’ and of course I did,” McDowell recalled. “So it wasn’t really some monumental display of humanity, like everyone on social media does. It was her asking for help, and I was there to help her. It wasn’t really a big deal.”

And lest anyone think McDowell made the move with the strategic idea of ​​finding an ally in Briscoe for the upcoming two superspeedway drafting races, Atlanta this weekend and Talladega in a few weeks, McDowell says that was the last thing on his mind as he helped Briscoe’s wife.

“Chase obviously doesn’t owe me anything,” McDowell chuckled. “I’m just happy for him and his family and know they’ve been through a lot, been through a lot lately. And so, you know, I have a great relationship with Chase. And I’ve talked to him since, but that’s not unusual.”

As for the overwhelming response on social media right now, McDowell hopes it will give others the message to do the right thing.

“Yeah, I think the message is very simple. If you can help someone, you should,” McDowell explained. “Even the little things, sometimes they’re more important to other people than you might think.”

It was an especially emotional weekend for the Briscoe family, as Darlington Raceway was where Chase and Marissa Briscoe truly recovered emotionally from some of the most traumatic moments of their lives.

In 2020, just days after the couple suffered a miscarriage of their first child, Chase Briscoe somehow managed to hold his own in the race car during the final laps of the NASCAR Xfinity Series event, battling Kyle Busch for the win. Briscoe called that Xfinity Series win at Darlington at the time “the greatest day of my life after the hardest day of my life.”

Just a few years later, the Briscoe family, who now have a son, Brooks, who is now two years old, and are on the verge of welcoming two more additions to the family next month, were back on the Darlington winning trail.

“Yeah, it’s hard to put into words honestly,” Briscoe said in his post-race press conference. “I mean, it’s pretty crazy how God works, right? We come here two days after a miscarriage, we’re able to win and beat Kyle Busch. And then four years later, here I am again, beating Kyle Busch, but now I have my son with me. Marissa is here, pregnant with twins that are literally due at any moment.”

With the impending arrival of their twins, Briscoe’s wife pushed him to take the win at Darlington last weekend, as it would be her last chance to be at the track for a while. Marissa was not there for Chase’s first Cup Series win at Phoenix in 2022. Due to the unthinkable tragedy leading up to Darlington and the COVID-19 pandemic, she was absent for his nine trips to victory lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2020.

“Funny how it all works out, right? Just to have them here, Brooks has never seen me win. Obviously I saw it on TV in Phoenix. For him to experience this. For Marissa to be here. When I won all those races during COVID, she was never there. Obviously she wasn’t there when I won in Phoenix. (This is) the last race she’s coming to. Yeah, she’s been telling me all weekend, you’ve got to do it. Take that as motivation.”

The extra motivation worked, and now Briscoe gets the chance to win a NASCAR Cup Series championship this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. And thanks to McDowell’s kindness, the Briscoes finally got to have their celebratory moment at Darlington Raceway.