Chase Briscoe Shows Potential With First Joe Gibbs Racing Victory
Chase Briscoe didn't just win Sunday's Nascar Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. He dominated, all while saving fuel in a late-race battle with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and Pocono master Denny Hamlin.
Briscoe, who was announced as Martin Truex Jr.'s replacement at Joe Gibbs Racing a year ago, scored his first victory with the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops team, solidifying his spot in the 2025 playoffs.
'Last couple weeks especially, I've just been like this huge weight on my shoulders, unlike anything I've ever experienced before,' Briscoe said in his post-race press conference. "My wife is like 'What is going on with you?' I'm like, 'I have to win. I don't think you realize how bad it is if we don't win a race and lock into the Playoffs.'
"I feel like I honestly weigh a hundred pounds less already. Literally, when I was doing my contract with JGR, I remember them showing me the stat thing about how about out of 40 attempts for Playoffs, they have made it 38 times. The expectation is if you don't make the playoffs, you're not going to be in this car anymore.
'It's nice to be locked into the playoffs, especially with the races coming up. So many wild cards in there.'
Briscoe has gone from being an underdog at Stewart-Haas Racing, the team that he competed for in the Xfinity Series and then four years in the Cup Series. He joined the organization with high expectations before its internal demise.
However, Briscoe showcased moments of glory at SHR, leading to the JGR gig. He won a race in his sophomore season at Phoenix, followed by a win in the regular season finale at Darlington Raceway in 2024 to lock his No. 14 team into the playoffs. That victory – SHR's final one as a Cup team – stunned the Nascar realm as SHR had already lost many employees to other teams and it wasn't receiving much support from Ford after its shutdown announcement.
'At SHR, I feel like you really felt like you kind of surprised the world when you won," Briscoe said. "With JGR, their cars are capable week in and week out. Certainly, the expectation is different.'
But the pressure of replacing 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who retired at the end of the 2024 season, was immense.
Through 17 races with JGR, Briscoe has six top fives (tying his career-high) and eight top 10s (two shy of his career-high). His four poles are the most in Nascar at the moment, as well, showcasing raw speed out of the No. 19 car.
For Briscoe, the adjustment to JGR is not necessarily about a new team. Rather, it's about believing in himself and knowing he can get the job done. It's a case where it wasn't if he would win, but when.
Briscoe said: "I knew we were more than capable. I knew myself that I was capable. You never really know until you go do it, right? For us to be able to come here, it's certainly nice to get that monkey off your back.
"I can't thank Coach [Gibbs] and Johnny Morris and Toyota enough. There was a lot of people they could have put in this car. It was the most sought-after seat in the off-season. For me to be the one blessed enough, lucky enough to get it is great.
'With that, you have to prove yourself. For me to be able to come here now and win, it doesn't mean I'm guaranteed to be in it for a while, but it certainly is nice to know I can do it at this level, in this equipment, and hopefully I can be here my entire career because the sky definitely feels like it's the limit here.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
15 minutes ago
- Fox News
2025 NASCAR Richmond qualifying: Order for Cook Out 400
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond Raceway for Cook Out 400. Catch the race on Saturday on USA at 7:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying starts Saturday on USA. Check out the 2025 NASCAR Richmond qualifying order below.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
NASCAR Predictions for Richmond: Cook Out 400 Picks, including Race Winner
The NASCAR schedule this weekend takes us to Richmond Raceway for the penultimate race of the regular season. There are only two races left in the regular season and there are just two playoff spots remaining. It creates plenty of high stakes for Saturday night's Cook Out 400. Ahead of the Cup Series race, let's dive into our NASCAR predictions for Richmond. Denny Hamlin wins the pole at Richmond Denny Hamlin enters the week with the best NASCAR odds (+400) to win the Cook Out 400. He won the pole at Richmond Raceway last August and he qualified third for the Cook Out 400 in 2023. While Hamlin has only won the pole once this season, the No. 11 car has consistently shown some of the best speed on ovals this summer. Learning from his mistake at the Brickyard 400, where he was poised to win the pole until he got too aggressive in the final turns, Hamlin will lead the field on Saturday night's race at Richmond. Read More: Tyler Reddick gets the Stage 1 win The good news for Tyler Reddick heading into the Cook Out 400 is that he's already secured a playoff spot. With only two races remaining in the regular season, there's no chance of Chris Buescher (83 points behind Reddick) catching up to him and Alex Bowman (57 points back) has very little chance. So, for 23XI Racing, they just have to avoid last-place finishes to make it in. However, Reddick only has a single playoff point right now and isn't exactly well-positioned to make a deep run. The No. 45 team needs all the extra wiggle room it can get come playoff time, so it plays for the Stage 1 win on Saturday night for 10 stage points and 1 playoff point. Related: Christopher Bell wins Stage 2 Christopher Bell needed that second-place finish at Watkins Glen. After winning three of the first four races of the season, Bell hasn't been to Victory Lane in a points race ever since. He was still racking up top-10s in the first half of the season, but he entered Watkins Glen with a 17.0 average finishing position in his previous seven races. He's also earned just 1 playoff point since his win at Phoenix. Bell's momentum from the second-place finish and the desire to pull closer to William Byron and Kyle Larson in playoff points culminate in him winning Stage 2. Bubba Wallace records his fifth consecutive top-10 finish 23XI Racing and losing its charger, making its three cars run as open teams, seems to have gotten the best out of Bubba Wallace. He's delivered a career-best stretch over the last month, delivering four consecutive finishes inside the top 8 with a Brickyard 400 win. That streak includes 8th place on a road course (Watkins Glen) and his maneuvering through the field at Iowa when he came back from 2 laps down in the final stage to finish sixth. Now, Wallace is back at one of his best tracks. He finished fourth in the Cook Out 400 last year and placed 12th in the Toyota Owners 400. With the speeds the 23 car is showing as of late on ovals, Wallace will maintain his hot streak on Saturday. Related: Austin Dillon finishes outside top 20 Austin Dillon will be a storyline of the Cook Out 400, given what happened last season. The reckless driving overshadowed the tremendous speed the No. 3 car had at Richmond last August. However, there were also rumors about a Joe Gibbs Racing engineer leaking car setup info to Richard Childress Racing. Fast forward to 2025 and Dillon hasn't exactly impressed. The No. 3 car ranks 22nd in average starting position (20.2) and he has one top-10 finish since Kansas. Dillon will get stuck in the middle of the pack for the majority of the night, unable to ever approach the front of the field. Joey Logano wins the Cook Out 400 It will be redemption for Joey Logano on Saturday night at Richmond. Not only will Austin Dillon be out of the picture for most of the night, but Logano will get to enjoy the moment that was taken from him a year ago. If not for that incident, Logano would be tied with Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell for the most top-10s (five) at Richmond Raceway in the Next Gen era. The No. 22 car has been quiet as of late, ranking 13th in average finishing position (16.9) over the last 15 races and 14th (14.8) over the last six. Just two weeks before the playoffs, Logano gets his second win of the season. Related Headlines Top Phillies Executive Admits Keeping Kyle Schwarber 'Won't Be Easy' Amid MVP Season Ja'Lynn Polk won't travel with team to Minnesota, could be headed for IR Peyton Manning Shuts Down Jalen Hurts Critics: 'Sky Is The Limit For This Guy'
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
NASCAR to Adopt Preventive Action After Connor Zilisch's Watkins Glen Fall
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. NASCAR has confirmed that it will adopt a preventive measure to ensure a driver remains safe while celebrating in the Victory Lane. However, the sport will not stop drivers from celebrating in the manner that Connor Zilisch did, which led to his fall at Watkins Glen. Zilisch climbed atop his car after winning the Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International. However, he soon slipped and fell head first on the ground. The impact led to a broken collarbone. The 19-year-old driver has been leading the Xfinity points standings and was due to race the next day in the Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing. However, it was impossible for him to take part due to his injury. Zilisch underwent surgery on his shoulder to expedite his recovery so he can get back to the world of racing as soon as possible. Taking his fall into account, NASCAR managing director of communications, Mike Forde, pointed out that the window net on Zilisch's car was "flapping on the outside," which led to the incident. Speaking on the Hauler Talk podcast, Forde confirmed that the sport will take steps to ensure the net remains inside. He said: Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 Registix Chevrolet, slips and falls off his car in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Mission 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 09,... Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 Registix Chevrolet, slips and falls off his car in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Mission 200 at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 09, 2025 in Watkins Glen, New York. More"I think that was part of the problem that the window net was flapping on the outside. I think Connor even said that may have been a problem, and one of our safety guys actually mentioned the same thing. So, we may do just sort of a check to make sure that if that's inside the car, it's one less thing you can slip on." Forde also confirmed that NASCAR will not restrict its drivers from climbing on their door sill or their cars during Victory Lane celebrations. He said: "We have not put in any policies or best practices or anything like that." Related: NASCAR's Connor Zilisch Gets Trolled by His Father After 'Embarrassing' Fall Speaking of Zilisch's return to racing, it hasn't been confirmed if he will be in a position to take part in the Wawa 250 at the Daytona International Speedway. Trackhouse team owner Justin Marks opened up on the topic of when Zilisch will be able to race. Newsweek Sports reported his statement: "I think it's a discussion that we all have to have. We haven't really talked about much, obviously, since yesterday, but in the little bit that we've discussed in some of the quiet moments over the last 24 hours, it's going to have to be a group decision. "It's going to have to be sponsors, Chevrolet, the team, taking care of his development, taking care of him as a human and as an athlete, and then keeping his motivations high and making sure he knows he's got a group of people behind him that are supportive of him."
