Chase Briscoe may be only five seasons into his Cup career, but his first year behind the wheel of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 has already been one for the books. After Stewart-Haas Racing shuttered its doors last year, Briscoe landed in new territory and has thrived.
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Not only did he punch his ticket to the playoffs for the third time, but he also reached the Championship 4 for the first time in his career. And although he has won three races so far in the season, it was his win at Pocono that truly turned the tide.
When he joined JGR, the #19 driver admitted he struggled, navigating mountains of data and adjusting to the team’s painstaking system. The pressure to deliver mounted early, but that all changed at Pocono. The win at the Tricky Triangle broke the dam, unlocking the confidence and rhythm he needed to power through the postseason.
Ahead of the penultimate race at Martinsville, Briscoe said he wasn’t surprised by how the year unfolded. He’d long believed the potential was there; the No. 19 had always been capable of running for a title, as he had witnessed with his teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin.
“Up until Pocono, I just had a ton of pressure and just stress. Just I felt like when we won Pocono, the weight of the world kind of lifted off my shoulders and, you know, really from that weekend, our results have just completely changed.”
“So, yeah, I feel totally different. Even going into next week, like I’m not stressed or feel any pressure at all. I felt a ton going into, you know, Pocono and just leading up to that point. So, yeah, it’s kind of all icing on the cake at this point,” he added.
With his Championship 4 berth already locked in, Briscoe’s focus for this week is to help Christopher Bell join him in Phoenix for the Martinsville race.
He’s been vocal about wanting all three JGR cars in the title fight, not just for the glory of it, but for the righteousness of competition. For Briscoe, racing against teammates with identical equipment will be the truest test of a champion.
