Chase Briscoe has emerged as perhaps the luckiest among the former Stewart-Haas Racing lineup, his talent now backed by the firepower of Joe Gibbs Racing. In an environment where the combination of superior equipment, optimal setups, and prime charters sets the stage for success, Briscoe has seized the opportunity, unlike others who’ve plateaued despite similar resources.
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At SHR, Briscoe, like his peers, operated with equipment closely regulated by NASCAR to maintain parity across the board, with parts sourced from designated suppliers. However, his move to JGR’s No. 19 car has marked a stark contrast, delivering the strongest Cup Series start of his career despite the same constraints imposed on JGR as well.
While he hasn’t yet secured a victory like his teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, Briscoe’s record speaks volumes: five top-five finishes, another top-10, an average finish of 14.23, 30 laps led, and an 11th-place ranking in the driver standings after 13 races.
Ahead of Nashville Superspeedway, Briscoe was quick to credit JGR’s equipment for his resurgence. Discussing the unique challenge of the Nashville track, he noted, “Your car is so important just from a car capability. In the past here, truthfully, my car just hasn’t been very good. It is just on top of the race track, not doing what you want it to do.”
Recalling Kevin Harvick’s wisdom —“you can’t drive a slow car, fast” — Briscoe added, “I came here today, and my first lap of practice – it was the best driving car of my life here. It just drives better, has better grip, turns better, and goes faster. It just makes my job way easier. Honestly, I think that is a lot of it. For whatever reason, at SHR, we just struggled really, really bad here.”
Briscoe underlined that Nashville is a track where equipment makes the difference. In fact, according to him, at this level, the drivers might be able to pick up a couple of spots with an average car, but they cannot take a 25th-place car and drive to the front. “Just comes all down to car at this level, to a certain extent. I’m in, arguably, one of the best cars every single week, so it makes my job a lot easier,” he said.
Chase Briscoe wins the third pole of the season in his #19 JGR car
The #19 Joe Gibbs Racing driver blazed to the top of the charts in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Nashville Superspeedway, clocking an average speed of 164.395 mph to secure his third pole of the season for the Cracker Barrel 400. It also marked the fifth pole position of his Cup career.
Earlier this year, he locked in the pole positions at the Daytona 500 in February and at Charlotte Motor Speedway just last weekend. At Nashville, teammate Hamlin will line up alongside him in P2, while William Byron, the highest-qualifying Chevrolet, starts third.
Last year, Joey Logano won at Nashville to punch his playoff ticket, while the then #19 driver, Martin Truex Jr., could only muster a P24 finish. With Briscoe coming off a P21 at Nashville last season, it will be a captivating battle to see how he capitalizes on this front-row start.
