Chase Briscoe, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, delivered his best performance at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, May 5, battling back from adversity to secure a strong fourth-place finish in the AdventHealth 400. Overcoming problems in Saturday’s practice, which forced his team to make repairs and drop him to the rear of the field, Briscoe methodically worked his way through a challenging field at the 1.5-mile oval in Kansas City, Kansas, marking his top result in nine career starts at the track.
The path to this impressive outcome was far from simple for Chase Briscoe. After his No. 19 Toyota suffered tire issues during practice, resulting in repairs that forced a start from the back, Briscoe and his crew approached Sunday’s race knowing they faced a significant uphill battle. Undeterred, Briscoe cut through the Cup Series field, facing setbacks but steadily advancing to the front through skillful driving, smart pit calls, and on-the-fly adjustments.
Reflecting on the tumultuous weekend, Briscoe acknowledged the difficulties, saying,
“Our day was definitely just weird, right? Having to go to the back after yesterday, tearing the whole bottom off and was OK the first run there. We were kind of going forward, and we had the green-flag pit stop and we had a wheel come off or something. Came out probably three-quarters of a straightaway behind the 5 [Kyle Larson], and was able to run him down, pass him, get back on the lead lap. So I knew my car was pretty good if I could ever get back up there.”
Throughout the race, Briscoe encountered multiple challenges, including a significant vibration that hampered his speed and vision late in the event, yet his determination never wavered.
“Then the second stage, I had a bad restart and the car just kind of went away for whatever reason. That whole second stage and start of the third stage, we made an adjustment and it came to life. I went from like 18th to 10th on a restart, and then 10th to sixth and just had a really, really bad vibration at the end. I couldn’t even see where I was going, so I was trying to just limp it around.”
The race-winning pace was set by Kyle Larson, who led an astonishing 221 out of 267 laps, breaking the record for most circuits led at a Kansas race, and surpassing 10,000 career laps led in NASCAR’s top series. Despite Larson’s dominance, Chase Briscoe challenged him head-on at critical moments, recovering from a lap down and running among the leaders. Briscoe noted the similarities between his late-race handling issues and the trouble he’d encountered in practice, adding,
“That one was definitely the worst. It just freaked me out because it was the exact same feeling I had in practice when I blew the tire yesterday. It really started coming with eight to 10 to go. I felt like I could have ran third for sure if it wasn’t for that.”
Briscoe’s respect for Larson’s abilities was clear, as he remarked,
“Kyle’s an incredible race car driver. I always say he’s the greatest of all time, right? Me and my dad talk about it a lot where Kyle goes and runs a sprint car race, and it could be for $5,000 to win or $100, it doesn’t matter to him. He’s willing to risk it all and he doesn’t even think about it. It definitely separates him.”
This Kansas performance marks a significant step forward for Chase Briscoe during his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing. As a fifth-year Cup veteran, Briscoe has navigated a mix of results so far in 2025, including five top 10 finishes. Despite this measurable progress, inconsistency and execution still pose challenges for the No. 19 team, led by crew chief James Small, as four races have ended outside the top 20. The pursuit of a cleaner, mistake-free weekend remains a work in progress, with the team focused on maximizing the speed their cars clearly possess.
Crew chief James Small described the current environment, highlighting areas that still require improvement.
“He’s open to suggestions. Still, I feel like [there’s] a lot of things that he can improve on,”
Small told NASCAR.com.
“I think we have a pretty good understanding of the car every week now. It’s just about execution on the day. When you have a clean day, we can run like this. We’ve proved all year. We’re still hurting ourselves. Our stage points is a [expletive] joke and we just need to start the races up front and maintain track position, and our life will get a lot easier.”
Adjusting to a new team has not been without its hurdles, but Chase Briscoe remains optimistic about the untapped potential of his Joe Gibbs Racing equipment. Compared to his previous experiences at Kansas with Stewart-Haas Racing—where he frequently struggled outside the top 20—Briscoe now sees opportunity for far stronger performances.
“Kevin Harvick says it all the time, you can’t drive a slow car fast,”
Briscoe said.
“Every time we came to Kansas, I ran 25th to 30th. As soon as I got out [today], I said, ‘Well, I guess it maybe wasn’t me this whole time.’ We just always go backwards every race and you can only drive the car as fast as it’ll go. JGR’s cars’ potential is just unbelievable compared to what I’m used to. I don’t know why that is, but it’s definitely mind-blowing. That’s what I’ve raced against my entire career for sure.”
Chase Briscoe’s strong finish at Kansas Speedway stands as not just a personal best at the venue, but a defining moment for his partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing. The ability to rebound from early adversity, compete with the series’ elite, and achieve new heights underscores his growth and determination within the Cup Series. While considerable work remains for both Briscoe and his team to reach greater consistency and capitalize on race-winning potential, this result signals that brighter days may be ahead.
Looking forward, the pressure remains on Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing to transform speed and potential into sustained results. If the pieces continue to come together, and if the team can smooth out their weekends, Briscoe’s breakthrough at Kansas Speedway could prove to be a turning point that sets the tone for the rest of his season, with even greater ambitions on the horizon.
