LONG POND, Pa. — Chase Briscoe got the cold, hard facts when the third-generation driver’s career took an unexpected turn a year ago, which is when the announcement came that he would be filling NASCAR’s most coveted available seat in 2025 at powerhouse Joe Gibbs Racing.
The message was clear at JGR, which is led by a NASCAR Hall of Fame owner, already has five Cup Series championships and is a perennial contender to win another title.
“You don’t make the playoffs,” Briscoe said, “you don’t race in this car anymore.”
The Toyotas were better at JGR, sure, than the Fords that Briscoe was wheeling for Stewart-Haas Racing, which after last season went from a four-car stable to the one-car Haas Factory Team. So were the championship standards set by Joe Gibbs and the rest of his organization.
“It’s been a lot of work,” said James Small, Briscoe’s crew chief in the No. 19 Toyota. “From where he came from, there wasn’t much accountability. Nobody was holding his feet to the fire. That’s probably been a big wake-up call for him.”