Chase Briscoe is not merely stepping into a charter previously held by someone as great as Martin Truex Jr., but he has also transitioned to an organization like Joe Gibbs Racing — a move that has proven to be quite challenging for him. Adapting to the polar opposite team culture, as the new #19 driver noted, involves unlearning Stewart-Haas Racing’s methodologies while acclimating to those of JGR.
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During a recent conversation with Claire B. Lang, Briscoe shared insights into his transition and said, “I did not think it would be that different, but I figured it would be pretty simple to switch. Yeah, I was definitely wrong. There’s just so much more going on to the amount of data to look at… Like I said, the resources, data, analytics, like there’s just so much of that.”
Briscoe expressed amazement at the new dynamics he’s experiencing at Joe Gibbs Racing, noting, “It’s really open my eyes up there. This is how vastly different it is. It’s kind of crazy to think that’s what I’ve raced against my entire career or so.”
2025 #DAYTONA500 Pole Sitter @chasebriscoe told me he has never before had what he has now @JoeGibbsRacing . Tho he is new to JGR Briscoe is thriving there and will lead the field to green Sunday here @DAYTONA pic.twitter.com/0bDBXXoJsj
— Claire B Lang (@ClaireBLang) February 13, 2025
During his discussions, he also shared a story spotlighting the differences from his previous team, recounting how he arrived 15 minutes late to a pre-event meeting — a protocol he was unaware even existed until recently.
While he admitted feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data now at his disposal, he remains optimistic, acknowledging that the process will become more manageable over time because the data can be interpreted in various ways.
One can either delve deeply into the statistics and risk getting lost or use the insights to discern what’s effective and apply those learnings directly on the track. Despite the challenges, Briscoe is confident that his move to JGR is beneficial, viewing it as a big opportunity to enhance his racing strategy and performance.
The humungous chunk of data seemingly worked for Briscoe
Briscoe won the pole position for the upcoming Daytona 500, clocking a lap at 182.745 miles per hour in 49.249 seconds during the second round of qualifying on Wednesday.
The achievement marks the first Daytona 500 pole for Joe Gibbs Racing since 1998 and Toyota’s first-ever pole in the event. Meanwhile, for Briscoe, this is his third career pole and his debut at the forefront of the Great American Race.
In a media session following the qualifiers, Briscoe couldn’t hide his excitement, revealing, “The whole offseason everybody kept telling me the focus was on trying to qualify better on superspeedways. That’s something they really struggled with last year. For our No. 19 group to come here and sit at the pole for the biggest race of the year is pretty special. So, yeah, can’t believe it.”
With his teammate Denny Hamlin leading the pack in the first practice session at Daytona and Briscoe securing the pole position, it appears that Joe Gibbs Racing is pulling out all the stops to ensure one of their drivers wins this year’s Daytona 500.
