Joe Gibbs reflects on Chase Briscoe’s ‘surprise’ rise at JGR

Nobody expected Chase Briscoe in the Championship 4, that too in his maiden year of competition with Joe Gibbs Racing. 35 races into the season, the Mitchell, Indiana, native also tops the leaderboard with three wins, 15 top fives, and 19 top-10s to his name.

Joe Gibbs, the NASCAR Hall of Fame owner of JGR, felt like a lot of their success was due to the newfound chemistry between Briscoe and his crew chief, James Small. He addressed the same during a recent press conference. Then he continued by adding his thoughts on Briscoe’s playoff journey.

“Certainly you're seeing somebody like Chase, who came up, sacrificed all that he sacrificed with his family and him, Marissa (Briscoe’s wife), everything that they've gone through to get to this level,” said Joe Gibbs. “It's so exciting to see them have a year like they've had.”

“None of us expected it,” Gibbs continued. “I don't think anybody did. I didn't hear anybody in the press say that was going to happen. I think it took us all by surprise.”

Joe Gibbs Racing hasn’t won the Cup Series championship since 2019, back when Kyle Busch bagged his second series title. And now, Chase Briscoe has a shot at bringing it back to the JGR camp and ending the six-year championship drought. With Team Penske, the reigning Cup champions, out of the picture, it’s just Hendrick Motorsports versus JGR.

All eyes are now on Phoenix Raceway for this coming Sunday’s race. Known as the Championship 4 by the NASCAR aficionados, the 312-lap event will be televised on Peacock (3:30 pm ET) with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Joe Gibbs Racing boss pinpoints mechanical issues for Chase Briscoe at Martinsville

Last week, during the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, two JGR drivers faced some mechanical issues. These two drivers were Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin. While Briscoe’s day ended on Lap 296, Hamlin lasted 334 laps before getting ousted from contention.

Both drivers were locked into the championship race with wins in the opening two races of the Round of 8. So, they didn’t need to worry about Martinsville. The issue, as revealed by Joe Gibbs himself, was with valve springs. Further detailing the matter, the 84-year-old automotive tycoon said,

“I think it always concerns you anytime you have a motor issue. We feel like, this morning, we went through everything that happened and got all the parts out and we have a plan and strategy where we end up in a good position and it doesn’t come back to us this next week in Phoenix.”

“We have those parts, and anytime you have valve spring issues, they come in batches and we think we have that covered,” he added.

While Chase Briscoe is one of the championship favorites, there are thousands of fans rooting for Denny Hamlin as well. After all, he is the longest-tenured driver in the NASCAR Cup Series without a championship. The closest he has been to winning was back in 2010, when he finished the season second behind Jimmie Johnson.