Chase Briscoe may be the newest face at Joe Gibbs Racing, but he certainly isn’t bringing up the rear among his teammates. While Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin have combined for five wins this season and hold P3 and P5 in the standings, respectively, Briscoe currently sits at P12, trailing leader William Byron by 154 points after 10 starts. Meanwhile, Ty Gibbs, now in his third Cup season with the team, is still chasing his first win. He currently ranks P22.
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As for Briscoe, he continues to work on settling into the #19 Toyota after spending his previous Cup seasons behind the wheel of the #14 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Speaking candidly about the adjustment, Briscoe said, “I want to win, especially when your teammates have been winning. It’s like, well, if they’re winning, we can win, too.”
He believes that even two weeks ago at Bristol, his car had enough speed at the end to pull off a win. However, he also admitted that it is taking a little time to hit the sweet spot as they work through adjustments during practice and the race. Briscoe remains confident that his #19 car will find its footing and that winning opportunities will come knocking soon.
“It’s just frustrating when your teammates are winning, but it is still very, very new and there are a lot of things that are different that I’m trying to get acclimated to,” the JGR driver added.
Is Briscoe in a better position than last year?
After an early-season penalty was overturned on appeal, things have been far quieter for Briscoe in recent weeks. Yet, although Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell have stolen most of the spotlight, that doesn’t mean Briscoe has flown under the radar. With the NASCAR Cup Series having completed over a quarter of the season, Briscoe has managed to secure three top-fives and another top-10 finish so far.
The #19 team matched its season-best finish with a P4 at last weekend’s event at Bristol Motor Speedway, mirroring Briscoe’s earlier results at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Daytona. Compared to last season, when he had secured four top-10s but no top-fives by this point, this is definitely an improvement.
Still, Chase Briscoe remains honest about the journey ahead, admitting, “I still feel like we’re not 100 percent… for me, I don’t feel like I’m firing on all cylinders yet. I still feel like I’m learning things about the car every week.” Nonetheless, he believes the progress they are making on the simulator will soon translate to stronger performances on the racetrack.
