Chase Briscoe retires from sprint car racing, placing family and his new role at Joe Gibbs Racing at the forefront of his decisions. The NASCAR Cup driver shared his decision publicly, reflecting changes in his career and personal commitments.
Long-Time Sprint Car Involvement Comes to an End
After years of balancing his main racing career and a passion for dirt racing, Briscoe announced his retirement from sprint car competition. The decision follows a path taken earlier by Tony Stewart, his former boss, who also ended his sprint car racing involvement.
“I’m retired, at least for the time being. Probably for good, truthfully,”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver
Briscoe confirmed that his last sprint car event took place at Bloomington, Indiana, close to where he began his journey in motorsports. For Briscoe, racing at this venue, a mere 25 minutes from his hometown, provided a fitting and personal conclusion to his time on dirt tracks.
“I ran my last (sprint car) race last year at Bloomington (Indiana), which is where I grew up racing, 25 minutes from home. It just felt like I was done.”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver
Family Responsibilities Influence Career Shift
Family obligations played a significant role in Briscoe’s retirement from sprint car racing. The arrival of twins last year brought the number of his children to three, making it increasingly difficult to balance travel for races with responsibilities at home.
“We had twins last year. So having three kids now, it just makes it harder to tell my wife, ‘Hey, I’m going to leave a couple days early (before a NASCAR race) and go run some sprint car races.’”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver
The Impact of Joe Gibbs Racing Opportunity
Another key factor for Briscoe’s decision is his move to Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). He emphasized that switching to JGR presents a major career milestone and brings with it new professional demands and expectations. The appeal of racing faster cars and not wanting to risk this “opportunity of a lifetime” factored heavily into retiring from side racing efforts.
“And switching over to JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing), going to a new job and new opportunity, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Their cars are so fast. I just don’t want to do something to screw that up, get hurt or something like that.”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver
Future Involvement in Dirt Racing from the Ownership Side
While Briscoe is ending his time behind the wheel in sprint car racing, he does not intend to leave the dirt racing world entirely. Instead, he is considering a future in sprint car team ownership, providing opportunities for others to compete while he remains involved from a new perspective.
“Hopefully, I can get my sprint car team back out there from the ownership side,”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver
“I’d absolutely love to have them run on the racetrack. But from a driver’s standpoint, I think I’m done, at least for the time being.”
—Chase Briscoe, Driver
Significance and What Lies Ahead
Chase Briscoe’s decision marks a turning point, both professionally and personally, prioritizing family life and the high demands of his latest NASCAR opportunity. His shift from competing to management may influence sprint car racing by enabling emerging talent to flourish under his guidance, even as his own driving chapter comes to a close. With Briscoe stepping aside as a driver, the dirt racing community will watch to see how his passion shapes his future contributions from the sidelines and in team leadership roles.
