Last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway saw two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers battle it out during the final laps of the race to clinch victory at ‘The Tricky Triangle.’ Leading the charge was the No.19 with Chase Briscoe behind the wheel, followed by the winningest driver in the team’s history, Denny Hamlin. Now, Hamlin has thrown his support behind his teammate.
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With a wealth of knowledge to support his claims in the sport, Hamlin applauded Briscoe for his execution of the race, which at one point was under threat as the No.19 Toyota Camry was close to running out of fuel due to a slight misjudgment by Briscoe during his last pit stop.
However, as things would pan out, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver managed to hold on to win his first race with JGR after cautions helped him stretch out crucial fuel mileage, along with his crew chief James Small coaching him through fuel-saving and race strategy.
Hamlin, after finishing second to Briscoe, elaborated on what the 30-year-old has contributed in his debut season with the team, highlighting how his prior experience gives the team a fresh perspective.
“It’s just a new perspective, I guess. Certainly feel like he’s helped with some restart stuff, just some little stuff about generally the way they approached things with Stewart-Haas. They were a powerhouse for quite some time, up until the last year or so,” Hamlin said in a post-race interview.
He further elaborated on how his past experience at SHR helped the organization during debriefs, saying, “He’s the last one that has ran at another organization and then come over and been able to analyze how our cars drive versus what he had. That’s been a useful resource for us, especially in Monday meetings.”
Briscoe’s crew chief reveals how he is adapting to JGR’s atmosphere and expectations
Long-time crew chief for the former No.19 Toyota Camry driver Martin Truex Jr., James Small, reflected on how he has had to coach Briscoe on adjusting himself to the environment at JGR.
With the levels of performance Coach Gibbs’ team brings to the track every weekend, especially at Pocono, the Indiana native realized the importance of winning right away. However, the switch in driving style and mindset had to be inculcated in him.
“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. We expect a lot. We demand perfection. That’s the personalities on this race team. We are ready to go, and we will go kill our grandma to win the race. That’s probably a little different for him,” said the No.19 crew chief.
Briscoe can now look forward to taking the next step in his career, having bagged his first win with the team. With continued adaptation, as Small noted, the 30-year-old could be on course for a great showing, given he rises to the occasion.
