“He either runs first or second”: NASCAR icon Richard Petty ‘fascinated’ with Chase Briscoe’s hot streak

Chase Briscoe has turned his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing into one of the year’s defining stories. The No. 19 driver has been nearly unstoppable in the Cup Series playoffs, stacking six top-five finishes in the last nine races, including a Darlington win and four runner-up results. That consistency has caught the eye of Richard Petty.

Briscoe arrived at JGR in 2025 with the difficult task of stepping into the No. 19 Toyota vacated by Martin Truex Jr. The 2017 champion closed his six-year run with the team at the end of 2024, retiring after 15 wins in Bass Pro Shops colors. At the same time, Stewart-Haas Racing folded, leaving Briscoe without a seat until Joe Gibbs called.

Expectations were enormous, but the former SHR driver has delivered. Six poles, two wins, and consistent front-running speed have made his debut season a statement year. Reviewing last weekend’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway with longtime crew chief Dale Inman, the NASCAR legend couldn’t hide his admiration.

"The car that really fascinates me right now is the 19 car. He either runs first or second, you know what I mean? And even they had trouble in the pits and got screwed up a little bit, he still was able to come back and run second," Petty said during his Petty Race Recap. (1:05 onwards)

Chase Briscoe’s rise has made the No. 19 one of the toughest cars to beat in the garage. He started the Round of 16 with a victory at the Southern 500, then backed it up with another podium run at Gateway.

Chase Briscoe after winning the Cookout Southern 500. Source: Imagn

Dale Inman even joked about how high the bar has gotten:

"The disappointing thing about the 19, they qualified way back in third, Richard... He had a bad qualifying." (2:33 onwards)

The numbers back up that dominance. Chase Briscoe already owns six poles this season and came close to becoming the first driver to start all four NASCAR crown jewel races from the front in a single year. With poles at Daytona, Charlotte, and Indianapolis, he only missed out on a sweep by 0.021s. Inside the garage, many believe he has more than validated JGR’s choice to place him in Truex’s seat.

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Chase Briscoe keeps pace with Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR playoffs as Bristol looms

Chase Briscoe (19) and Denny Hamlin (11) during the NASCAR Cup Series. Source: Getty

The Gateway race showed just how far Chase Briscoe has come in the Joe Gibbs Racing system. Both he and teammate Denny Hamlin pitted early in the final stage with 65 laps remaining. After the race’s last restart on Lap 209, Hamlin took the lead and didn't look back. Briscoe recovered from a left-rear tire issue on pit road to finish just 1.620 seconds behind.

That kept Briscoe's playoff momentum intact and set the stage. Now, both Hamlin and Briscoe go to Bristol with Round of 12 berths already secured, while the rest of the field scrambles for survival. Briscoe has logged a fourth-place and an eighth-place finish in his last two trips to the Tennessee short track, but his real focus will be on New Hampshire - the first race in the next round.

After a year defined by big expectations, Chase Briscoe has not only justified his place in the No. 19, but has turned it into a contender’s seat once again. As the playoffs deepen, the 30-year-old continues to grow stronger, and it’s getting harder to bet against him.