Joe Gibbs Racing Bet on Chase Briscoe, And It's Paying Off Big Time

Chase Briscoe poses next to the trophy while wearing the customary winner's floral wreath in victory lane following a win in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. | Rusty Jarrett, Lumen Digital Agency for Toyota GAZOO Racing

When Joe Gibbs Racing made the bold decision to hand Chase Briscoe the steering wheel of the team’s No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, it raised a lot of eyebrows. After all, replacing a legend like Martin Truex Jr., who was not only the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion but had also been a cornerstone of the JGR team for years, was no small task. And many wondered if Briscoe was up to said task.

While Briscoe had been viewed as an interesting prospect, based on a prolific nine-win 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, the native of Mitchell, IN, had just two career Cup wins over his first four seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing. It begged the question: Would Briscoe’s potential be enough to carry the torch for the No. 19 team?

Fast forward to the here and now, and Briscoe has completely silenced those early skeptics. Not only has Briscoe filled the massive void left by Truex, but he has also proven that Joe Gibbs Racing’s gamble on him was the right call. With three wins, seven poles, a level of consistency that few in the series can match, and now a berth in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway, Briscoe has solidified his place among NASCAR's elite in his first season with JGR.

“[I’m] Not surprised,” Briscoe said of landing in the Championship 4 in his post-race press conference after the YellaWood 500. “I knew it was capable of happening. I knew all the pieces were going to be there. It was just a matter of if I could go and perform. I feel like I was capable of doing it. But you don't know until you go and do it.”

While Briscoe always believed in himself, he still had a long road to get to this point.

Briscoe’s 2025 season has been nothing short of transformative. The 30-year-old has stepped into a role that many drivers would have struggled with, and not only has he met the challenge, but he has exceeded expectations.

His three wins in 2025, the first of which came in a strategy-fueled victory at Pocono, where he led a race-high 72 laps, followed by a thumping of the field at Darlington Raceway where he led more than 300 laps to take his second consecutive win in the Southern 500, one of the most difficult races for a driver to win, and now a last-lap charge past Bubba Wallace at Talladega, have made it clear that Briscoe isn’t just a one-hit wonder.

Those wins have come on tracks that require a combination of skill, strategy, and nerves of steel, which proves that Briscoe is a multifaceted driver capable of handling any challenge placed in front of him. But it’s not just his wins that stand out. His ability to consistently put together solid finishes has been a hallmark of his season, as he now has a series-high 15 top-five finishes after last Sunday’s YellaWood 500, and 19 top-10s, which trail only Christopher Bell (21) and Kyle Larson (20).

In the opening stretch of the 2025 season, many were feeling that perhaps JGR had made an error in selecting Briscoe as the driver of the No. 19 team, as the performance was simply not there. Through the opening five races of the year, Briscoe was mired 21st in the championship standings.

“Yeah, I would be lying if I said the first kind of couple months of the year I was like, This is way harder than I thought it was going to be,” Briscoe admitted on Sunday evening.

While Briscoe got off to an uneasy start, as he acclimated himself to the potent JGR equipment, the top finishes down the stretch earned him crucial points when it mattered most.

Briscoe’s qualifying prowess, evidenced by his seven poles, further emphasizes his versatility. Whether it’s a short track, intermediate, or superspeedway, Briscoe has consistently placed himself in position to contend for the pole, proving that he is not only fast but can consistently set the pace in qualifying. And ultimately, as he embarks on his first career appearance in the Championship 4 in a couple of weeks, his qualifying ability could provide him a distinct advantage over his competition for the Bill France Cup.

Beyond the wins and poles, what has truly elevated Briscoe in 2025 is his consistency. Through the ups and downs of the season, he has remained unshaken, an increasingly rare trait in today’s competitive NASCAR field. The pressure of replacing a legend would have been too much for many drivers, but Briscoe has shown that he thrives under the spotlight, with his performances growing stronger as the season progresses.

“I think Chase, nothing fazes him,” crew chief James Small said in his post-race press conference at Talladega. “His personality. He's cool under pressure. He's a weird dude. I've never met anybody like him.”

In his post-race interviews, Briscoe has often credited his JGR team, including crew chief James Small, for the confidence they’ve instilled in him. “We’ve built a strong relationship this year,” Briscoe said after securing his spot in the Championship 4. “I’m grateful for the team’s belief in me. It’s been a season of growth, and I’ve learned a lot about myself as a driver.”

While many outsiders saw JGR’s acquisition of Briscoe as a potential stop-gap option until a long-term replacement for the departing Truex could be found, after securing a Championship 4 appearance, it’s clear that Briscoe has found his home for a long, long time.

“You shouldn't have brought that up. Okay? Do not suggest 10-year contracts,” Joe Gibbs joked when asked if Briscoe should be rewarded with a 10-year contract. “I think right now he can get anything he wants. I'll put it that way.”

What a difference a year and a change of scenery can make for a driver’s career.

For Briscoe, the opportunity to race for a title is the culmination of a season that many thought would be filled with growing pains. But instead, it’s been a year of exceeding expectations, delivering results, and building a legacy that will seemingly continue to grow. As the Championship 4 field comes into focus, the No. 19 team is ready to prove once and for all that Joe Gibbs Racing’s gamble was not just a shot in the dark, but a move that has paid off in spades.

Briscoe may have started the year as one of the biggest question marks in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, but with three wins, consistent finishes, and a spot in the Championship 4, he’s now the answer. For Joe Gibbs Racing, this season has proven that sometimes the best investments are in drivers who have something to prove.