Chase Briscoe stepped into new territory this season, joining Joe Gibbs Racing following Stewart-Haas Racing’s shutdown at the end of last year.
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Despite a race win and flashes of speed with SHR, including a ninth-place finish in the 2024 standings, Briscoe now believes he’s beginning to uncover his real ceiling with JGR.
Through the first 12 races of the year, he has logged four top-five finishes and one top-10, but insists he has only scratched the surface. Speaking ahead of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Briscoe shared his early expectations and how his current form stacks up.
“I wanted just to win, truthfully. The top fives are great, right? I think I’m only one behind my career high, ever, and we are 12, 13 weeks in, so from that standpoint, it is encouraging, but I want to win races — that is the main goal for me,” he said.
Still, while admitting that results have come despite what feels like a work-in-progress #19 team, he feels, “It is weird. We’ve had the results, but I feel like we have been so bad. I don’t even feel like we are close to our potential.”
He revealed that both he and crew chief James Small have echoed the same sentiment over the last few weeks — that the pair are still getting in sync, and there’s plenty of untapped performance left in their package.
According to Chase, the duo is still learning each other, while he is still learning the car. So, to be running this well when they feel like they haven’t even hit the stride yet is pretty exciting to him.
Briscoe pointed to Charlotte as a personal benchmark. He explained that even earlier in the year, he had pegged the Coca-Cola 600 weekend as the point where he expected to start settling in and truly assessing his pace.
As for grading his season so far, Briscoe gave himself a “B-, C+,” and added, “Hopefully, here in a month, I can say we are an A.”
The #19 driver currently holds 12th in the driver standings. While teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin sit in third and seventh with three and two wins, respectively. Briscoe and Ty Gibbs remain winless for JGR this season. Still, Charlotte offers him a chance to turn the corner.
Briscoe details why it hasn’t been a smooth transition into JGR for him.
For Chase Briscoe, what appeared to be a straightforward transition on paper proved more complex once rubber met the road. What he expected to be a smooth shift between Next Gen machines quickly revealed itself to be a far steeper climb.
During a recent appearance on Today, Briscoe was asked to weigh in on his move from Stewart-Haas Racing to Joe Gibbs Racing. He didn’t mince words, admitting that the adjustment has been tougher than he initially imagined.
The #19 driver explained that he went into the season assuming that the cars would drive similarly, given the uniform platform of the Next Gen era. But that assumption didn’t hold water.
From setup dynamics to aerodynamic behavior, even the engine and body characteristics, particularly how they generate downforce, felt worlds apart. The cars under JGR’s banner demanded a different touch, and Briscoe found himself facing a steeper learning curve.
He acknowledged that finding his footing has taken more time than expected. Yet, in navigating the growing pains, Briscoe has also come to see what sets Joe Gibbs Racing apart.
The experience has given him a clearer understanding of the inner workings that allow the team to remain in the championship hunt year after year.
