Chase Briscoe Cup Series breakthrough has reshaped his NASCAR journey in 2025, as the Indiana native transitioned from Stewart-Haas Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing, stepping into the No. 19 Toyota after Martin Truex Jr.’s retirement. With thirty races behind him in his first season with Gibbs, Briscoe’s performance has established him among the leading championship contenders as he navigates a path toward NASCAR’s highest honor.
Briscoe’s Transformation with Joe Gibbs Racing
Since his move to Joe Gibbs Racing, Chase Briscoe has experienced a notable upturn in consistency and success compared to his four years at Stewart-Haas Racing, where he recorded only two wins. Taking over the high-pressure seat from Martin Truex Jr., who achieved three wins in his final three seasons, Briscoe faced early adjustments with new crew chief James Small. In the first five races, he secured just one top-10 finish as the team worked hard to adapt their approach.
Reflecting on his early season challenges and subsequent improvement, Briscoe shared his perspective:
“Stuff is easier now. Where (as) at the beginning of the year, you’re the new guy that’s not normally racing up front. So, now everything is way easier than it was at the beginning of the year. Some of that, too, is that I was drinking through a fire hose then. I’d say that was the one thing that was surprising. But at the same time, it’s been surprising these last couple of months how easy it’s all happened.” — Chase Briscoe, Driver
With perseverance and preparation, Briscoe has reached new career heights this season, recording two victories and twelve top-five finishes. Notably, he has led more laps in these thirty races than during his entire tenure at Stewart-Haas Racing, validating his capabilities as a front-runner.
He now consistently appears in the top three for average starting position, average finish, and laps led, marking a dramatic reversal from earlier seasons attributed by many to the support and resources of Joe Gibbs Racing. Briscoe expressed gratitude for this opportunity, emphasizing the feeling of competing at the highest level:
“Now you go to this year where I feel like I’m one of the guys who’re always in the mix. That’s fun because when you’re competing against those guys, it’s very frustrating because you feel like you’ve never been given the same opportunity you could do what they’re doing. But you don’t know until you get that opportunity, and I’m grateful that I got it, and now I feel I’ve proven to myself even that I’m capable of doing it at this level,” Chase Briscoe, Driver
Briscoe’s growth comes during a time of heightened expectations, particularly given Truex’s legacy. As Joe Gibbs Racing aims to continue its dominance, all four drivers, including Briscoe, advanced past the Round of 16, maintaining the organization’s strong playoff presence.
Challenges Surface in the Round of 12
Entering the Round of 12, Briscoe and his team confronted new difficulties. At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Team Penske led by Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Josh Berry asserted their strength by combining for 273 laps led in the Mobil 1 301. In contrast, Joe Gibbs Racing saw all its drivers, Briscoe among them, finish in the top 12 but unable to match the dominant pace of Penske’s Fords over long stints.
Starting from eighteenth, Briscoe briefly took the lead during the second stage. However, after pit cycles during green-flag conditions in the final segment, he slipped back and ultimately finished ninth. A determined effort in the closing stages resulted in a tenth-place finish, a solid showing but short of the top-tier performances he displayed in the previous playoff round, where he stood out as the only driver to register three consecutive top-10 finishes in the Round of 16.
Prior to New Hampshire, Briscoe sat comfortably in sixth in the championship standings, but this result moved him to eighth, just twelve points above the elimination line. With such a narrow margin, the volatility of the NASCAR playoffs became immediately apparent as each stage and finish has the potential to reshape the leaderboard significantly.
Briscoe acknowledged this evolving mindset and the weight of the moment:
“It is wild how much my mentality has shifted from year to year. I’ve gone from being out there to now feeling like I have a legitimate shot at being a Cup Series champion. That’s a wild feeling.” — Chase Briscoe, Driver
High Stakes at Kansas and the Charlotte Roval
Looking ahead, Briscoe’s Cup Series title ambitions encounter substantial tests at Kansas Speedway and the Charlotte Roval. Kansas has seen him secure only a single top-10 in nine appearances, while the Roval has proven even more challenging, with an average finish of 23.8 and three results outside the top 20. Despite these past struggles, Briscoe now benefits from the increased speed and organizational strength at Joe Gibbs Racing, increasing both the promise and the demands upon him.
Only two races remain before the field is trimmed for the Round of 8, placing a premium on consistency and high finishes. For Briscoe, who previously questioned whether he would ever find himself contending week-to-week, this period brings both the realization of a dream and the accompanying pressure of seizing the moment at NASCAR’s peak. As teams like Team Penske and drivers such as Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney remain formidable obstacles, each remaining race will demand Briscoe’s full measure of performance and poise.
With the support of his crew, including chief James Small, and buoyed by a sense of validation and determination, Chase Briscoe approaches this pivotal playoff stretch standing as a symbol of breakthrough and resilience within NASCAR’s fiercely competitive Cup Series. The coming races at Kansas and the Roval will play a decisive role in determining if Briscoe’s resurgence and optimism translate into a championship run or another difficult lesson on racing’s biggest stage.
