Signing with Joe Gibbs Racing is Chase Briscoe’s biggest career move yet but he’s going to have his hands full from the get-go. An organization like JGR expects performance at the highest level from each of its drivers and Briscoe has not been competitive in quite some time. As far as his future crew chief James Small is concerned, the 29-year-old has what it takes to deliver when it matters the most.
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The SHR driver is already feeling the pressure as he believes his Cup Series career will be over if he fails to perform at Joe Gibbs Racing. He will be replacing a legend of the sport in a car that has championship-winning caliber. So far, he has had one win, 12 top-five, and 27 top-10 finishes with Stewart-Haas Racing.
“I really believe after sitting down and talking to him that he’s ready to do what it takes to win. And we’re behind him. I think we can come out and win. There will be a little bit of a learning process, but I think our team is strong enough to figure all that out,” – James Small.
Briscoe will be teammates with one of his close friends, Christopher Bell, at JGR next season. While they will be competitive on the track, Small believes their friendship will allow the #19 and #20 teams to work a lot more closely.
James Small on the pressure and why he feels the team might not lose a step with Chase Briscoe replacing Martin Truex Jr. next season. pic.twitter.com/FKIr6t3rh6
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 25, 2024
Chase Briscoe looking forward to working with Christopher Bell
In a recent media interaction, Briscoe said that Bell has played a big part in his career. If it was not for the driver of the #20 car, he would not have even raced in the ARCA Series at the time he did. They have been friends since they were 12 years old.
There was a time when they used to hang out almost every single day. The two friends might have grown apart but the prospect of working together again has the future #19 driver excited.
“It’ll be fun to be back on thay side with Christopher, to be on the same team with him. From a teammate perspective, it’s exciting for me. I have never had a teammate with a sprint car background before and a teammate that I can relate to 100%,” he said.
It will be intriguing to see how Chase Briscoe performs next year since he will be in a competitive car. Ever since that masterful nine-wins Xfinity Series season in 2020, he has been under the radar. Now it is finally his time in the spotlight.
