DARLINGTON, S.C.–There’s one huge difference between Chase Briscoe’s approach to the Cook Out Southern 500 last year and his mind-set this year.

The level of expectations is exponentially higher for Sunday’s opening Playoff race at the Lady in Black (6 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

For the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Briscoe believes he has a championship-caliber team.

That wasn’t the case last year when the Southern 500 was the final race in the regular season. Briscoe needed a victory just to make the Playoffs, and after a near-perfect run, he took the checkered flag and qualified for the postseason.

Last year, Briscoe drove for moribund Stewart-Haas Racing. This year, he’s driving the potent No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, an organization that e

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