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Special feature

BKR’s Take on Trucks

BKR's Cindric and Briscoe give their take on upcoming Truck season

Austin Cindric, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski Racing

Austin Cindric, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski Racing

Brad Keselowski Racing

Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski Racing
Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski Racing
Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski Racing Ford
Brad Keselowski, Brad Keselowski Racing Ford

As part of Motorsport.com’s content partnership with Brad Keselowski Racing, we will provide fans with exclusive content prior to each NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race from the organization’s drivers, crew members and staff to readers throughout the 2017 season. 

This week, we go one-on-one with Brad Keselowski Racing's two rookie drivers, Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe, to discuss some topics prior to the upcoming season.

What are your expectations at Daytona this Friday?

Austin: I expect the racing to be a lot like what experienced at Talladega last year. The guys have been working hard in the shop this offseason, so I know I’ll have a fast Draw-Tite Ford F-150 for Daytona. It will be an exciting race for sure.

Chase: I don’t know if I have any expectations because I’ve never raced a truck there and they will be totally different than an ARCA car, so I really don’t know what to expect. I’ll just go into the race like I do every race, and that is run as well as I can and go in to try and win.

Any friendly competition between you guys?

Austin: We’ll work together as much as we can off the track, but on the track he’s just another driver. We will always share notes and see how we can help one another.

Chase will your ARCA experience at Daytona help you?

Chase: I don’t know if I will be the go-to guy; Austin and I will both have a big learning curve. There is a big difference between the ARCA car and a NASCAR Truck, so having some experience on the track might help a little, but I don’t know how much it will help me in the truck.

How much help will it be for both of you to have veteran crew chiefs leading your teams?

Austin: It’s crucial because we don’t know what’s right. We know which pedal’ is which, but other than that, we need guidance and both of our crew chiefs to help us get our trucks ready to race. Doug (Randolph) has been doing this a long time and won a lot of races, so I’m happy he’ll be there to help me this year.

Chase: Daytona is such crapshoot because you need to survive the big one and be there at the end of the race. But having an experienced crew chief like Mike (Hillman Jr.) who has won truck championships can only help me with my learning curve in the truck. 

Both of you recently tested at Atlanta Motor Speedway, how did it go for you both?

Chase: Good test and big learning curve. Trucks drive so differently than an ARCA car. It was good to get the seat time to get more comfortable in the Cooper Standard Ford F-150, and I think that will help me when we go back there after Daytona.

Austin: It was actually my first time to test, as every other time I’ve been in the truck is race day and you get limited practice time. It was cool to get to test in a less stressful environment. Doug and I had a chance to work together and had some good communication; that’s crucial and we worked on that a lot. We checked a lot of boxes in that session. 

How much are you looking forward to road course races?

Austin: Road courses are my background and that is my happy place, so I look forward to racing in Canada. But I will focus on the 1.5-mile tracks, since a majority of our races will be on tracks that size.

Chase, you have a background in dirt racing. Are you looking forward to racing at Eldora Speedway later this year?

Chase: Eldora is the pinnacle of dirt track racing. I’ve been there a bunch but have never driven a race there. I never dreamed my first race would have been in a truck instead of a sprint car. I’m sure that will be a fun night. 

How much help has your car owner offered so far and how much help do you think he will give both of you this season?

Chase: Brad is there whenever we need him, but he also gives us space to learn. He’s a great motivator and he’ll be with us all year long to help us. 

Austin: It’s cool, Brad is willing to give two guys like us a chance to learn and hopefully have an opportunity to move up the ranks. We’re here to learn and this is an amazing environment for us to learn and be a part of this successful team.

What will it take for this season to be a success for you?

Chase: My success last year in ARCA wasn’t expected and I never dreamed we could have done what we did. For this season, I want to go after William Byron’s record of wins last season; I feel he’s set the mark that rookie drivers can go after.

Austin: I feel confident in my ability as a driver, but as for my abilities as a racer in trucks, I don’t know what to expect yet. I think that will be the biggest learning curve for me. I really don’t have any expectations going into the season.

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