Chase Briscoe is not accustomed to winning Cup Series races on a regular basis, so why wasn't the trip to victory lane at Pocono Raceway the most enjoyable of his career?
It all comes down to perspective and how his situation has changed since the Stewart-Haas Racing days.
"It's definitely way different," Briscoe said on Sunday night. "Just the expectation is so much higher. Like, I've only won three races in the Cup Series, right? This is by far the least enjoyable because it's expected now. You have to go win.
"At SHR, I feel like you really felt like you kind of surprised the world when you won. With JGR, their cars are capable week in and week out. Certainly the expectation is different."
Joe Gibbs Racing and the now-inactive Stewart-Haas Racing both won multiple Cup Series championships, but the biggest difference between the two organizations is the amount of sustained success.
SHR's heyday was the Gen 5 and Gen 6 eras. Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick both won championships while other drivers combined to win multiple races. This included Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Aric Almirola, Cole Custer, and Ryan Newman.
The Gen 7 era of SHR only featured four trips to victory lane, which made it less enjoyable for the drivers. Harvick delivered two, and Briscoe delivered two.
Joe Gibbs Racing, for comparison, has won championships across multiple generations of NASCAR. Stewart won two, Bobby Labonte won one, and Kyle Busch won two.
The laundry list of drivers have combined to win 221 races since 1993. SHR's drivers combined to win 70 races between 2009-24. This included six wins this season between Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin.
"It's unlike anything I've ever had in my career," Briscoe said about the pressure he faces this season. "The only expectation I would say is being teammates with Kevin. Even when I was there, Kevin wasn't really winning either. That expectation was always there with Kevin, but it wasn't necessarily guys winning week in and week out.
"Now you come to JGR, and Bell has won three races, Denny has won three. Me and Ty (Gibbs) hadn't won yet. Last couple weeks especially, I've just been like this huge weight on my shoulders, unlike anything I've ever experienced before. My wife is, 'What is going on with you?' I'm like, 'I have to win. I don't think you realize how bad it is if we don't win a race and lock into the Playoffs.'
"I feel like I honestly weigh a hundred pounds less already. Literally when I was doing my contract with JGR, I remember them showing me the stat thing about how about out of 40 attempts for playoffs, they have made it 38 times. The expectation is if you don't make the playoffs, you're not going to be in this car anymore."
Now that Briscoe has won at Pocono Raceway, he has punched his ticket to the playoffs. This will relieve some pressure on the Indiana native but not all. He will continue to feel pressure to succeed while racing alonside perennial championship contenders in Bell and Hamlin.