Chase Briscoe, who joined Joe Gibbs Racing this season, left Phoenix Raceway after the Cup Series finale feeling disappointed, even after reaching the final four in his first year with the team. The Chase Briscoe NASCAR championship race was marked by moments of promise and setbacks, with Briscoe openly reflecting on decisions that may have cost him a chance at the title.
Adapting to a New Team and Exceeding Early Expectations
Briscoe spent his first four years in NASCAR’s top division with Stewart-Haas Racing before moving to Joe Gibbs Racing, replacing Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 car under crew chief James Small. The transition brought new challenges, yet Briscoe quickly began to outperform expectations by securing three wins, earning the most poles, and accumulating more playoff points than any other competitor this postseason.
“I mean, it was definitely a good first year, right,”
said Briscoe ahead of the NASCAR Awards Show.
“I texted our group chat and told them, ‘we have a lot to be proud of,’ because we gave the whole field a half season head start.”
Reflecting on preseason goals set by James Small, Briscoe shared,
“James and I sat down at the start of the year and he showed me all these goals, and I was like ‘man, I have only two career wins and you expect me to do this’ and we pretty much did all of them. He wanted 15 top-5s and to have led 800 laps.”
While the goal was four wins and the team came up just short, Briscoe acknowledged their collective achievements:
“He wanted four wins and we came up short on that one, but overall, like everything he thought we were capable of in our first year, we pretty much did it.”
Pivotal Moments and Difficult Decisions in the Championship Race
Despite their regular season success, Briscoe’s championship hopes faded at Phoenix due to a series of unfortunate events. Matching teammate Denny Hamlin for speed, Briscoe’s performance was hampered by an early flat tire during practice, weak qualifying results, and another flat tire during the race. The setbacks meant Briscoe was constantly battling from the back, yet his determination and the pit crew’s efforts kept them in contention throughout the day.
Briscoe found the outcome especially hard to digest, expressing,
“It’s hard to swallow in a sense,”
he said.
“Like, as the days go on, it gets even tougher because it would be different if we ran 15th all day. But I feel like we were capable of winning and just didn’t get to show it with all the issues.”
He pointed out how the team recovered multiple times:
“We went from the back to the front like two or three different times.”
The Impact of Strategy and Hindsight Regret
A key moment of regret centered on a strategic tire call late in the race. Briscoe revealed he advised James Small to “trust your gut” regarding a tire strategy, but in hindsight, he believes following the path chosen by Kyle Larson and Cliff Daniels—using two scuff tires—might have been wiser. Instead, the team opted for four qualifying scuffs, a decision that haunts Briscoe.
“I would personally rather be on offense, and I just wish that he would have obviously not let me talk him out of it,”
Briscoe said.
“Who knows? You never know. It’s the question mark of what would have happened.”
Reflecting on what could have been, he stated,
“So that’s the only thing that, I guess, is kind of burning me up is the tire issues we had and that I wish I would have let James trust his gut.”
Looking Back and Looking Ahead
Despite the disappointment, Briscoe’s first season with Joe Gibbs Racing outpaced most expectations—including those held by Coach Gibbs. Before Martin Truex Jr. officially retired, Gibbs had already shown interest in Briscoe, and the transition was sealed with cautious optimism.
“The goal was to at least win a race,”
Briscoe remarked, recalling preseason conversations.
“I don’t think they expected this for our first season. Like, Coach told me the day before we signed that he would let me know what Martin decided by 11 in the morning.”
“Sure enough, he called me at 10:57 and his first words were ‘you better not screw this up.’ So I told Coach on the grid after the race I hope I didn’t screw it up,”
said Briscoe, lightening the mood after a tough finish.
Now, Briscoe is determined to push further next year:
“Now the goal is to build on this and move the goalposts even higher next year and beyond.”
This season’s journey—marked by strong showings, difficult turns, and second-guessing—underscores both the promise and the harsh realities of the Chase Briscoe NASCAR championship race. As Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing look to the future, their unfinished business at Phoenix fuels their off-season resolve.
