Filling the shoes of Martin Truex Jr. will not be easy for Chase Briscoe. But it isn’t impossible. Just a few weeks since the 2024 Cup Series season winded up, the 29-year-old is already working hard with the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team to set things up for next year. His role will be an extremely crucial one for the organization and so, the expectations from him are high.
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James Small, the crew chief of the team, relayed these expectations on SiriusXM. He said, “He is a really good kid. I spent a lot of time talking to him and he seems very motivated to do well. He’s got a point to prove and to show people, now that he is going to be in a more competitive car week-in week-out, he can do this. Win multiple races a year. We are gonna push him hard.”
Briscoe began his Cup Series career in 2021 with Stewart-Haas Racing and stayed there till the end of 2024. He reached the victory lane just twice in this period.
Hopes are that he will come to fulfill his complete potential once he gets into the proven machinery of Joe Gibbs Racing. Should he show promise to get the job done, the future of the team could end up being built around him.
The eagerness to see what tomorrow has in store continues to push the team forward. Small told a small group of reporters after the season finale in Phoenix,
“It’s like Martin when he went to Furniture Row (Racing). He’s still very young. He’s extremely fast. And I know he’s very hungry to perform and show everybody what he’s capable of. So, the whole team is just really, really excited to get going.”
Joe Gibbs Racing changes racing policy to accommodate Briscoe
Coach Gibbs has long blocked his drivers from pursuing extracurricular racing activities away from NASCAR. Driving midgets and sprint cars comes with a large degree of risk that could affect performance in the Cup Series and take away business opportunities.
This was reason enough to worry with Briscoe joining the team since he is an avid dirt racer. But the policy stands reversed for 2025 according to reports.
Gibbs told The Athletic, “We sort of talked things over to come up with a process by which they can request to run certain races. If they get approval from everyone they need on our competition side, then they are free to run the race. That includes dirt, but also potentially other forms of racing.”
Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs must be receiving the news with great joy as well owing to their interest in other disciplines. Expect to see these three men racing their hearts out away from the tracks of NASCAR next season.
