"This validates them" - NASCAR Insider hails Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe decision

Chase Briscoe's first season with Joe Gibbs Racing was always going to be under the scanner. The question was whether he could handle the pressure of filling the No. 19 seat. After his Cook Out Southern 500 victory at Darlington, the answer from within the NASCAR garage is a resounding yes.

Briscoe took over the No. 19 Toyota from 2017 Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., a driver whose six-year stint with the team produced 15 wins. On the latest episode of Door Bumper Clear, Freddie Kraft, TJ Majors, Tommy Baldwin, and Karsyn Elledge discussed Briscoe’s emergence. Kraft summed up the validation of the move:

"This kind of validates them putting him in this car. There's two guys this year that I think had to prove something. One was Briscoe, the other one was (Ryan) Preece. But they both have done what they were supposed to do this year." (33:23 onwards)

Martin Truex Jr. ended his Cup career with Joe Gibbs Racing after a run that included three wins in the last three seasons and none in 2024. That left Chase Briscoe with the task of proving himself at a championship-caliber organization, and his numbers show he has more than stepped up.

Martin Truex Jr. (19) and Chase Briscoe (14) during the 2024 Iowa Corn 350. Source: Imagn

In year one with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe has six poles, two wins, and 11 top-fives. He sits third overall in laps led with 628, while holding a league-best 10.0 average starting position.

Despite headline performances from Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, Briscoe has quietly built one of the most complete rookie campaigns for a Gibbs driver in recent memory.

Kraft pointed out the comparison to Truex's closing years:

"You look at the numbers this year for Chase, six poles, which was ridiculous... Two wins, 11 top fives this year. I mean, you go back and look at Martin's last couple years. He had 14 top fives combined in the last two years. He had five last year, no wins, no poles. So, I mean, he's jumped in this thing and is actually outperforming Martin, who was a championship contender, it seemed like year in and year out. So, obviously they hit the nail on the head with Chase." (33:54 onwards)

Chase Briscoe's playoff-opening win at Darlington was more than just another statement. He showed that Joe Gibbs' decision to bet on him after years at Stewart-Haas Racing was the right call.

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Denny Hamlin explains how Chase Briscoe won at Darlington

Denny Hamlin (11) and Chase Briscoe (19) during the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington. Source: Getty

Chase Briscoe’s Southern 500 started with a near miss. He was 0.021s short of teammate Denny Hamlin and missed the chance to become the first driver to start all four NASCAR crown jewel races on pole in a single season. Lining up alongside Hamlin on the front row gave him track position that would prove decisive.

Darlington, according to Hamlin, has become more about execution than anything else. Speaking on Actions Detrimental, he broke it down:

"The leader just has obviously a tremendous advantage and they just executed a flawless race on pit lane. Darlington has become that. It is a qualifying race and a execution on pit road race. Nothing more than that. That is what Darlington is and now has become." (17:43 onwards)

The No. 19 pit crew executed at a near-perfect level. Their average stop time was 9.7 seconds, with the slowest at 10.0 flat. By comparison, Hamlin’s crew averaged 10.5 seconds. That consistency ensured Briscoe never lost ground.

From there, it was dominance. He led 309 of 367 laps, swept both opening stages, and held off Tyler Reddick’s late challenge to seal the victory by 0.408 seconds. It was his second Cup Series win of 2025 and his second career triumph at the track dubbed the “Lady in Black”. Denny Hamlin finished P7.

With a playoff win already in his pocket, Chase Briscoe heads to Gateway locked into the Round of 12. For a driver once seen as a gamble to replace a champion, he’s proving himself to be one of JGR’s biggest success stories of the year.