Thanks to Christopher Bell, the worst kept secret in the NASCAR Cup garage was officially announced on Tuesday. Chase Briscoe will be replacing Martin Truex Jr in the 19 car next season. While the choice of Briscoe is not a surprise, Bass Pro Shops remaining as a primary sponsor for Briscoe was a bit unexpected. Bass Pro Shops will be the primary sponsor for the Daytona 500 in 2025. Per the press conference, Briscoe’s deal with Joe Gibbs Racing will be a multi-year contract. James Small will remain the crew chief of the 19 as well.
It's official ✍️@ChaseBriscoe_14 is joining the JGR family. Chase will drive the No. 19 @BassProShops Toyota Camry starting in 2025!#NASCAR #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/WWFaQxpahE
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) June 25, 2024
Despite the early portions of the press conference being a continuation of a goodbye to Martin Truex Jr, plenty of interesting bits were unveiled during the presser. The deal between Briscoe and JGR came together quickly. The Tuesday when Stewart-Haas Racing told their drivers that the team would shutting down, Briscoe reached out to JGR President Dave Alpern. That Thursday, the two met for breakfast. Before the next Tuesday arrived, Briscoe had signed with Joe Gibbs Racing for 2025.
Christopher Bell, who got to finish his Friday announcement, helped push JGR to sign Briscoe. For JGR, the move signifies the desire to stay in a win-now approach. While Briscoe has yet to live up to lofty expectations, the potential for greatness seems to be there. Similar to when Martin Truex Jr moved to the Toyota camp, Briscoe driving for top equipment could unlock his ability to win consistently.
From Chase Briscoe’s perspective, the decision to sign with Joe Gibbs Racing was an easy one. Obviously, it would be difficult to pass up a top ride. However, Joe Gibbs sold him on joining the team via two main factors: not talking about sponsors and constant communication. According to Briscoe, Gibbs would contact him 2-3 times per day during this process. There was a clear desire from the coach to bring Briscoe into the fold. Plus, the desire seemed to be there for Briscoe as a driver rather than funding. Briscoe stated that JGR was the only team that did not discuss his sponsors joining him in a potential agreement.
With the move to Joe Gibbs Racing, the pressure will be on Chase Briscoe to perform. There will no longer be understandable excuses to explain slumps and underperformance. Briscoe will be in the best equipment in the sport. Along with the equipment, he will have a top crew chief in James Small at the helm. Not only will he have to win, but win frequently. Briscoe acknowledges the pressure and embraces it. Briscoe put it bluntly: “if I don’t win… my career is probably over”.
While that could be considered a bold statement, there is precedent for that. Kasey Kahne went to Hendrick Motorsports with more Cup success than Briscoe. Kahne failed to win at a high enough level for job security. One year after getting the boot, Kahne left NASCAR. If Briscoe fails to deliver, the same situation could arise for him. Like Kahne, Briscoe might find more happiness going back to dirt rather than slumming it with lesser equipment.
Chase Briscoe is no stranger to putting pressure on himself though. Heading into 2020, Briscoe stated that he needed to win 8 times to keep his Cup aspirations going. Briscoe rattled off 9 wins that season. Heading into the best equipment he has had since 2020, could there be a Chase Briscoe breakout season incoming? Depending on your definition of breakout, yes. Briscoe has demonstrated enough talent with Stewart-Haas Racing to foresee him winning races in the 19 immediately.
Outside of the Chase Briscoe of this, the move to bring in an outside driver might have ramifications for JGR’s Xfinity drivers. If 23XI Racing buys a charter, the favorite to land that ride is either Riley Herbst or Corey Heim. Neither Chandler Smith nor Sheldon Creed are mentioned as true suitors for any Cup ride. While Creed likely remains, Smith has proven to take his ball elsewhere. He has jumped teams and manufacturers each of the past 3 silly seasons. Will he remain with JGR in the Xfinity Series or jump ship to a Cup team for a different manufacturer? It will be something to watch as Smith could consider himself Cup ready for 2025.
