Last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Media day everyone had a bit of a laugh…including the speaker….when Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell spoke on leadership within the team and let the name Chase slip out in relation to the number 19 car.
On June 25 JGR made the announcement of who would be taking over the driver duties for the number 19 car beginning next season after Martin Truex Jr retires from full time driving in the Cup Series.
And it is indeed a Chase (not the one Kyle Larson referred to in his social media post). Chase Briscoe will move over from the shuttering Stewart-Haas Racing team to join Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell at Joe Gibbs Racing.
JGR has offered the 29 year old Briscoe a multiyear contract to drive the number 19 car. Briscoe will also inherit 19 crew chief James Small.
Via a team press release, Briscoe spoke on his coming to JGR saying, “I’m excited for this opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing and Bass Pro Shops. From a competition standpoint, JGR is the place to be if you want to go win races week in and week out and to race for the championship every year. I am blessed that Johnny Morris and Bass Pro are on board to help us carry on the legacy of the 19 car. For me personally, being an avid outdoorsman, there’s a lot of pride in now being a part of the Bass Pro brand, and I’m extremely grateful for this partnership.”
Reflecting on his future in NASCAR Briscoe said, “you know, when the whole thing went down two-and-a-half weeks ago, I was panicking that nobody was gonna want me. To be able to have multiple offers on the table has been exciting from a confidence standpoint.”
Team owner Joe Gibbs added, “we are extremely excited about the future of our 19 team with Chase (Briscoe) behind the wheel and the partnership with Johnny, J.P. and everyone at Bass Pro Shops. “ talk about it often, but one of the great things about our sport is the relationships you have the opportunity to build around your teams and certainly we are just so thankful to have that with everyone at Bass Pro Shops. We obviously do a lot of research before selecting our drivers and through the process everything kept pointing us back to Chase.”
The move from SHR to JGR will also be a change in car manufacturers for Briscoe who currently drives a Ford. Moving to JGR will put him in a Toyota.
Toyota’s TRD USA president David Wilson spoke on Briscoe joining the team saying, “we are very excited to welcome Chase Briscoe to the Toyota family next season. Chase’s proven high character and racing acumen will fit perfectly amongst the talented drivers in the Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota camps. We believe in Chase and look forward to all of the on-track success he will achieve aboard a Toyota Camry XSE.”