Chase Briscoe Shows Potential With First Joe Gibbs Racing Victory

Forbes

4 days ago

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning ... More the NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway on June 22, 2025 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by) Getty Images
Chase Briscoe didn't just win Sunday's Nascar Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. He dominated, all while saving fuel in a late-race battle with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and Pocono master Denny Hamlin.
Briscoe, who was announced as Martin Truex Jr.'s replacement at Joe Gibbs Racing a year ago, scored his first victory with the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops team, solidifying his spot in the 2025 playoffs.
'Last couple weeks especially, I've just been like this huge weight on my shoulders, unlike anything I've ever experienced before,' Briscoe said in his post-race press conference. "My wife is like '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.
'It's nice to be locked into the playoffs, especially with the races coming up. So many wild cards in there.'
Briscoe has gone from being an underdog at Stewart-Haas Racing, the team that he competed for in the Xfinity Series and then four years in the Cup Series. He joined the organization with high expectations before its internal demise.
However, Briscoe showcased moments of glory at SHR, leading to the JGR gig. He won a race in his sophomore season at Phoenix, followed by a win in the regular season finale at Darlington Raceway in 2024 to lock his No. 14 team into the playoffs. That victory – SHR's final one as a Cup team – stunned the Nascar realm as SHR had already lost many employees to other teams and it wasn't receiving much support from Ford after its shutdown announcement.
'At SHR, I feel like you really felt like you kind of surprised the world when you won," Briscoe said. "With JGR, their cars are capable week in and week out. Certainly, the expectation is different.'
But the pressure of replacing 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who retired at the end of the 2024 season, was immense.
Through 17 races with JGR, Briscoe has six top fives (tying his career-high) and eight top 10s (two shy of his career-high). His four poles are the most in Nascar at the moment, as well, showcasing raw speed out of the No. 19 car.
For Briscoe, the adjustment to JGR is not necessarily about a new team. Rather, it's about believing in himself and knowing he can get the job done. It's a case where it wasn't if he would win, but when.
Briscoe said: "I knew we were more than capable. I knew myself that I was capable. You never really know until you go do it, right? For us to be able to come here, it's certainly nice to get that monkey off your back.
"I can't thank Coach [Gibbs] and Johnny Morris and Toyota enough. There was a lot of people they could have put in this car. It was the most sought-after seat in the off-season. For me to be the one blessed enough, lucky enough to get it is great.
'With that, you have to prove yourself. For me to be able to come here now and win, it doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to be in it for a while, but it certainly is nice to know I can do it at this level, in this equipment, and hopefully I can be here my entire career because the sky definitely feels like it's the limit here.'