Chase Briscoe adapts to Joe Gibbs Racing challenges as he transitions from Stewart-Haas Racing, facing new hurdles during his debut NASCAR Cup Series season with JGR. After joining the team following Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure last year, Briscoe’s start has proven more difficult than anticipated, despite some early flashes of success.
Briscoe, who achieved a race win and ninth in the final standings with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024, now finds himself at a different stage with Joe Gibbs Racing. Across the opening twelve races, Briscoe and the #19 team have recorded four top-five finishes and an additional top-ten, but Briscoe insists there is far more that can be accomplished together.
Prior to the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Briscoe spoke candidly about his goals and where he sees room for further growth.
“I wanted just to win, truthfully. The top fives are great, right? I think I’m only one behind my career high, ever, and we are 12, 13 weeks in, so from that standpoint, it is encouraging, but I want to win races — that is the main goal for me,”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver. Although results have come, Briscoe admitted that,
“It is weird. We’ve had the results, but I feel like we have been so bad. I don’t even feel like we are close to our potential.”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver.
The partnership between Briscoe and crew chief James Small is still developing, with both expressing that their collaboration has not yet reached full potential. According to Briscoe, he and Small are learning to communicate and extract maximum performance, while Briscoe adjusts to the characteristics of the Joe Gibbs Racing car.
Briscoe sees Charlotte as an important checkpoint in his adaptation, identifying this race as the point where he would genuinely start evaluating his progression and speed relative to expectations. When asked to evaluate his own season so far, Briscoe rated himself as “B-, C+,” adding,
“Hopefully, here in a month, I can say we are an A.”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver.
Despite sitting 12th in the driver standings, Briscoe remains behind teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, who are in third and seventh place respectively, with three wins for Bell and two for Hamlin. Both Briscoe and Ty Gibbs are still searching for their first win with Joe Gibbs Racing, and Briscoe points to Charlotte as a potential turning point.
Unexpected Difficulties in Transitioning to Joe Gibbs Racing
Briscoe’s shift to Joe Gibbs Racing has proven much more complicated than he first imagined, revealing a variety of unexpected technical and performance-related obstacles. What looked like a straightforward move between similar Next Gen cars became far more challenging as he adjusted to the specifics of the JGR operation.
Speaking during an appearance on Today, Briscoe shared his honest assessment of the move. He admitted that the adaptation process was more difficult than he initially believed. Briscoe had assumed the switch would be less demanding because of what he perceived as mechanical similarities among Cup Series teams under the current rules package. However, the #19 driver quickly realized that the cars at Joe Gibbs Racing behaved differently from those he previously raced, with notable changes in setup preferences, aerodynamic handling, and overall downforce management.
As Briscoe tried to come to grips with these new characteristics, he found himself needing more time to truly feel comfortable. However, he also learned why Joe Gibbs Racing consistently remains a leading force in the championship hunt, gaining insights into the organization’s technical depth and race-winning culture that sets them apart from former teams like Stewart-Haas Racing.
While Briscoe’s current results reflect steady progress, he acknowledges that there is much room for improvement. His journey underscores the complexity of adapting to an elite program such as Joe Gibbs Racing, and highlights the determination and effort required to reach the performance level of top teammates like Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin.
With the Coca-Cola 600 serving as a crucial benchmark, Chase Briscoe continues to focus on syncing with his crew chief James Small and unlocking the performance that he believes is still ahead. Although the learning curve has been steeper than expected, Briscoe’s competitive drive and measured approach offer hope that continued adaptation will soon translate into the race wins he desires.
