Chase Briscoe family resilience became a deeply personal journey for NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe and his wife, Marissa, following a period marked by profound grief and subsequent hope. Their family now includes three children—Brooks Wayne Cunningham Briscoe, Cooper Banks Briscoe, and Collins Ivy Briscoe—but that happiness was forged through loss and perseverance, with their sense of wholeness hard-won after a miscarriage that occurred just as their lives seemed to be falling into place.
In May 2020, only days before Briscoe claimed an emotional Xfinity Series victory at Darlington Raceway, the couple experienced the heartbreak of pregnancy loss. The event unfolded unexpectedly, disrupting what had felt like the promising start of a new chapter for the two. Briscoe publicly reflected on this moment, saying,
“the biggest day of my life after the toughest day of my life.”
This juxtaposition of devastation and triumph illustrated the emotional complexity of that pivotal week.
Public Acknowledgment and the Strength of Community
The Darlington win became more than a career milestone for Chase Briscoe. Marissa, speaking candidly about its meaning, revealed how deeply the loss affected their perspective.
“Our angel baby was watching over us, just knowing that she’s always watching over us, just meant a lot.”
Briscoe dedicated his performance to Marissa, attributing his fortitude to the mutual support the couple offered one another during their darkest days. In subsequent interviews, they spoke openly about navigating grief together, drawing strength not only from each other but also from the extended NASCAR community that surrounded them with empathy and support.
In the lead-up to the fateful week, Chase and Marissa’s lives had unfolded like a storybook. After marrying in November 2019, they were expecting their first child by spring. When Marissa went for what was supposed to be a routine appointment before the Darlington race, she involved Chase in the experience as best she could, FaceTiming him so they could both hear their baby’s heartbeat for the first time.
A Sudden Turn: Understanding the Loss
Marissa recounted the day of the loss:
“That was my 12-week check-up. I was so excited because I was going into that appointment, I was going to hear my baby’s heartbeat for the first time. Me and one of the nurses thought that we heard it, but they took me to the ultrasound room, they were like there’s no heartbeat and I could see it. But I didn’t want to believe it.”
From his perspective, Briscoe vividly remembered witnessing his wife’s reaction through a screen, recalling,
“Yeah, you see Marissa’s face turned pale almost, and then you know I feel like that an elephant stand on my chest, you know it’s just so hard.”
The shock was immediate, simultaneous, and devastating despite the physical distance between them.
For Marissa, accepting the loss proved agonizing. Motherhood had always been her dream, and the abrupt shift from hope to sorrow challenged everything she had envisioned for their future. The couple’s careful plans vanished without warning, forcing them to grapple with a new reality.
Finding Comfort and Building Support
Circumstances allowed Briscoe to return to Marissa quickly, thanks to a rain delay in the race weekend. He drove two hours back to Charlotte, where they met outside their home. There, in a silent embrace, they found the smallest reprieve—the restoration of togetherness. That stillness offered their first real moment of solace since the news.
In time, Chase and Marissa decided to share their story publicly on social media, hoping that honesty might offer comfort to others enduring similar heartbreak. Instead, they found themselves enveloped by support from friends, fans, and fellow drivers. Among the messages, one from Samantha Busch, who herself experienced pregnancy loss in 2018, deeply resonated with them.
“My heart breaks for them I know what they’re feeling, and I know that sense of loss and devastation, and you almost feel like you’re flailing and you just don’t understand why this happens and what else you could have done differently and you just want to grab her and give her a hug and tell her it’s going to be okay.”
—Samantha Busch.
Briscoe acknowledged that Samantha Busch’s outreach provided real comfort to Marissa, underscoring the healing power of shared experience. That sense of connection lessened their isolation, showing them that grief, while uniquely individual, is also universal and survivable with help from others.
A New Chapter Begins
Today, as Chase Briscoe pursues his racing career with Joe Gibbs Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series—capping an impressive rookie season with a third-place team finish—he and Marissa find fulfillment in parenting their three young children. The hardship they endured, and the community that supported them, has reshaped the Briscoes’ understanding of both joy and sorrow. Their story endures as a testament to the resilience families can discover in the face of personal tragedy and as a reminder of the unifying force of hope after loss.