Daytona 500 is a grand enough day as it is, but when the President of the United States of America makes a blockbuster entrance, it automatically becomes one for the history books. Donald Trump graced the track in 2025, just weeks after taking office for the second time, and drove around in his official motorcade. Right behind him in the No. 19 car was Chase Briscoe.
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Briscoe had gotten the pole for the race and was given the chance to shake hands with Trump beforehand. He drove in proximity to the presidential limousine, an experience he will never forget.
Ahead of the 2026 race on Sunday, Briscoe has opened up about what he felt in those moments in an interview with PRN Live. It goes without saying that he was beyond thrilled. “I just remember they opened the door,” he began.
“And I have never seen a door so thick in my life,” he quipped. “This thing was like two feet thick. It was mind-blowing how thick the door was. When I was on the track… they were probably a couple of hundred yards in front. They wouldn’t let us get too close.”
“Absolutely DO NOT get close.” ❌@chasebriscoe looks back at last year’s Daytona 500, and running pace laps behind the President.
It’s safe to say that the Secret Service was watching ️ pic.twitter.com/qoh7Kp6iUo
— PRN (@PRNlive) February 14, 2026
Briscoe also remembered how his car and all those of his colleagues went over the apron roughly while the presidential limousine handled them in the smoothest fashion. Watching the president move around in the car had been a wild experience for Briscoe. “Regardless of how you feel, that’s the president, right?” he added.
Why Briscoe had been nervous about shaking the president’s hand
Like many NASCAR drivers, Briscoe comes from a humble, modest background. For him, meeting the President of the United States, exchanging a few words, and shaking his hand was understandably a special moment. As the pole winner, he was granted that opportunity before climbing into his car for the race.
And it was just as he was walking up to the President that a thrilling realization hit him. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “When I went to shake his hand, I thought, ‘There are seven scopes locked in on my head right now.'” Presidential security is not a joke. Briscoe was only too right to check his body for laser scope marks.
Even after that, the cheekiness in Briscoe did not completely die. He’d asked if he could bump the back of the limousine during the lap and had been outright denied. Stern orders were given about what he is allowed and not allowed to do. Either way, he appears to have had one hell of a time riding behind the president.
