HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Chase Briscoe will drive the No. 19 Cup car for Joe Gibbs Racing next season after signing a multi-year contract, the team announced Tuesday.
Bass Pro Shops will remain a sponsor of the team and be the sponsor for Briscoe in next year’s Daytona 500. James Small will remain the team’s crew chief.
Briscoe takes over for Martin Truex Jr., who announced earlier this month that he will not race full-time in Cup beyond this season.
Christopher Bell, who accidentally revealed who the new driver of the No. 19 car would be last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, made the official announcement Tuesday at the team’s race shop.
The 29-year-old Briscoe is in his fourth Cup season. He became available when Stewart-Haas Racing announced earlier this month that it will cease operations at the end of this season.
Briscoe has one Cup victory in his career and knows expectations will be higher with his move to Joe Gibbs Racing.
“I definitely think you have to win,” Briscoe said. “When I sat down with their contract guy, they went through the stats of (how many JGR cars have made the playoffs through the years). If you don’t make the playoffs, if you don’t win, you’re not going to be sitting here any longer.
“I have to perform over the next couple of years or I’m going to be out the door. I kind of relate it to that (2020) Xfinity season when I said I have to win eight to 10 races (and won nine). I don’t have to win eight to 10 here — that would be great if I do — but I need to win. If I don’t win, then the way I look at it is as my career is probably over because if I can’t perform at this caliber of a race team, then why would any other owner take a chance on me?”
#NASCAR … Christopher Bell announces Chase Briscoe as driver of the 19 at Joe Gibbs Racing next season. pic.twitter.com/bihTUeUcwM
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 25, 2024
Briscoe is the first of the four current SHR drivers to announce a new ride for next season.
Briscoe said the deal with JGR happened within days of SHR’s announcement.
Two days after meeting with Dave Alpern, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe got a text from team owner Joe Gibbs. Briscoe didn’t know it was Gibbs and sent a text to Bell asking if that was indeed Gibbs’ number. It was.
Briscoe called Gibbs and they talked briefly. They met further after chapel the day of the Cup race June 2 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“Joe called me Sunday night and said, ‘Hey, leave your Monday morning open,’” Briscoe said. “That Monday afternoon I was meeting with the Wood Brothers.”
Gibbs wanted Briscoe to meet with the team to work through a contract that Monday morning.
“Sat there for four or five hours, went and met (Team) Penske that night. Tuesday, (Team) Penske called me again and we kind of discussed what they were willing to do. Tuesday night, JGR sent like an actual contract and Joe called me and said, ‘I’ll know by Wednesday at 11 a.m. if Martin is coming back. That’s his deadline.’
"(Gibbs) called me at 10:55 (a.m.) and said Martin is not coming back. The Wood Brothers drove down from Virginia that Wednesday, so I actually still went and met with them just out of respect to them guys because they’re incredible people. I left that meeting and drove straight (to Joe Gibbs Racing) and signed.”
By joining Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota Racing Development, Briscoe will end an eight-year affiliation with Ford Performance through Trucks, Xfinity and Cup.
Small said he had not talked to Briscoe until meeting him last week. Small said he sees similarities between Truex and Briscoe that will be helpful in setting up the car for his new driver next year.
“I’m really excited about it,” Small said of working with Briscoe next season. “I don’t really think we’ll have to change too much of how we go about it to be competitive.”