Chase Briscoe's crew chief, James Small, reflected on finally winning a Superspeedway race with the No.19 driver. He touched upon previous attempts with Martin Truex Jr. that didn't pay off.
Small took on Briscoe as the newest addition to JGR this year. The Hoosier native began the season with a pole start at the Daytona 500, and has since grabbed six more poles to log 15 top-10s and three wins.
The continued effort has resulted in a final four berth, making it a successful bid for Briscoe's first season with JGR. Small previously reached the championship race with Martin Truex Jr., but the two have never stepped on the podium in a Superspeedway race. Martin's best result in the Next Gen Era comes from a fifth-place finish at Talladega back in 2022.
In a press conference after Sunday's Yellawood 500, Small was asked about ending his winless streak at superspeedways.
"To do it in the Round of 8, check our ticket to Phoenix, is just amazing," Small replied, "We've had fast cars in the past, but usually luck has evaded us. Today everything kind of came together. Kind of stepped on our pee-pees there at the end of stage one. Bounced back and won that stage, and just amazing."
"Couldn't do this without your teammates, like Ty at the end was just incredible, what he did to help us. So thankful to him," he added(via ASAP Sports)
In addition, the crew chief gave a special mention to Chase Briscoe's efforts to meet expectations.
"As I said a million times before, he's done everything we've asked and then some. Credit to him for pushing himself."
The JGR driver has now qualified alongside Denny Hamlin for a shot at the title. The two drivers head to Martinsville Speedway for the final race in the round of 8.
James Small compares Chase Briscoe with Martin Truex Jr.
In the same press conference, James Small was asked to compare Chase Briscoe with Martin Truex Jr.. The crew chief was quick to answer with an interesting anecdote on their hobbies.
"They couldn't be more different if they tried (smiling). Just very, very different people. Very different demeanors. The closest thing is they both like fishing and hunting. That's it.
Chase Briscoe was left without a team after Stewart-Haas Racing closed shop in 2024. Martin's retirement opened the door for Briscoe's entry into JGR. Small opened up on his journey with Briscoe and shared that he never lost faith in their team-up.
Briscoe, on the other hand, has always maintained that JGR is the best chance to prove his mettle. Moreover, the 30-year-old has an extra week of prep for the finale race at Phoenix. Seeing how he had a rather poor result in his last outing at the track, the extra time will come in handy.
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