The off-season has officially started for NASCAR drivers, marked by their final formal assembly at the Awards Banquet in Charlotte, North Carolina. While Kyle Larson sets his sights on Australia for a race in his High Limit Racing Series, and Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs gear up to compete in select dirt-track events over the coming year, Chase Briscoe finds no compelling reason to travel far from his wife.
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Discussing his off-season plans, Briscoe shared, “Honestly, as of now I don’t have anything on the calendar. I am not going to do Chili Bowl, just with the twins and everything else. It would be a lot to leave my wife for a week.”
“I don’t really know what my dirt schedule looks like. Right now, I am totally content not running anything, just with everything I have got going at home… trying to get my feet settled in JGR,” said Joe Gibbs Racing’s newest acquisition.
Briscoe’s admission follows a recent announcement by Coach Gibbs that will allow his drivers more flexibility to participate in additional dirt-track races. The former Stewart-Haas Racing driver traces his racing roots back to the dirt scene after all.
However, with the recent arrival of his twins, he seems eager to dedicate some quality time to his family after a year of relentless weekly commitments. He is set to take the wheel of the #19 Toyota Camry fielded by JGR next year, as Martin Truex Jr. retires from full-time competition.
Briscoe also mentioned that he might explore participating in races outside of NASCAR once he’s more acclimated to the team, but currently, he’s not gearing his mind toward the same.
Stepping into Truex Jr.’s well-regarded shoes, he recognizes the expectations are high, and he’s focused on outperforming his previous stint at Stewart-Haas Racing while also juggling his fatherly duties back home.
“Your perspective just changes”
Just before the Charlotte Round of 12 elimination race, Briscoe and his wife welcomed their twins — Cooper Banks Briscoe and Collins Ivy Briscoe. When questioned by the media on how fatherhood has affected him, the former SHR driver shared, “I think your perspective just changes.”
He elaborated, “What I do in the race car is important, but in the big scheme of things, in the big scheme of life, it’s not the most important thing.”
Yet, he admitted that fatherhood has injected an extra dose of motivation, especially with the added responsibility of two more mouths to feed. While he aims to provide for his family, he also recognizes that his value isn’t solely defined by his finishes on track.
Up until now, the 29-year-old has exclusively raced for Ford as a manufacturer in the sport across the Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series. Transitioning to a Toyota with Joe Gibbs Racing marks a big shift, as he joins one of the sport’s most competitive teams.
