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Chase Briscoe and Stewart-Haas Racing shocked the NASCAR world Sunday with an underdog win. With Briscoe headed to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025, momentum may be swinging his way at the right time.
The first thing to understand about Chase Briscoe’s past four seasons is how he arrived at SHR. Briscoe entered the Cup Series after a 2020 Xfinity Series season in which he posted nine wins, 16 top-fives, and 22 top-tens.
This season came almost out of nowhere. In 2019, Briscoe posted 26 top-tens, but the 2020 win total was an entirely new level for the Ford driver.
SHR won 10 races in 2020, including nine wins from Kevin Harvick. The rest of SHR’s team had struggled in 2019 as well. However, everyone, including Harvick and Briscoe, struggled in 2021.
Many thought Briscoe would remedy these struggles. However, his 2021 saw just three top-tens across the 36 race season. 2022 would be a slight improvement, with Briscoe scoring his first win at Phoenix and being statistically second-best to Harvick.
Briscoe and SHR fell off again in 2023, and with Harvick’s retirement, SHR needed to make up lost ground. However, to the shock of many, after revamping its lineup for 2024, SHR announced that it would shut down after 2024.
Still a top candidate for a new ride, Briscoe waited, rather than signing with a new team immediately. When Martin Truex Jr. announced his impending retirement in June, the rumor mill quickly collected Briscoe as a replacement.
Before a formal announcement, Christopher Bell revealed that Briscoe would join JGR in 2025. JGR officially signed Briscoe shortly after. Briscoe, now a playoff driver, is set to take over another storied ride. However, could he be a major championship factor in 2025?
Briscoe topped his regular season off at SHR with a comeback win at Darlington, driving the wheels off his Mustang with Kyle Busch in hot pursuit. At the same time, most dont expect the No. 14 to make a run at the Championship, and with just ten races remaining in his time at SHR, it’s almost time to turn the page on this portion of his career.
SHR’s operation is a major loss to Ford. However, Briscoe may be a much more valuable loss to the Blue Ovals. While Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton have won races, Briscoe looked to be Ford’s next star, one that could have been a champion.
Chase hasn’t performed like some hoped he would, but Briscoe’s ascension to Cup correlated with a massive fall-off in competitiveness from SHR. There is still a feeling of missed opportunities surrounding Briscoe. Almost as if he had ascended with a more stable team, he could be a consistent championship contender.
Fortunately for Briscoe, he is headed to one of the most stable teams in NASCAR. Joe Gibbs Racing competes for wins week in and week out, and they could use someone with Briscoe’s resume.
This season, JGR has six wins split between two drivers, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell. But aging Martin Truex Jr. and former top TRD prospect Ty Gibbs have yet to win.
While winning isn’t everything, Briscoe replacing Truex removes several doubts about JGR and TRD’s competitive future. If Briscoe finds that driver that won nine races in 2020, JGR may have discovered their Kyle Larson and their next Denny Hamlin.
Chase is a clear case of a low-risk, high-reward signing. He is the type of driver who has lots of potential while remaining consistent if that talent doesn’t come to pass. He could become that great winner he used to be, but on the low end, he could be a constant anchor for JGR.
TRD has young talent in its pipeline, if Briscoe returns to form, that may not matter. Chase is not only headed to JGR with a chip on his shoulder but momentum on his side following his Darlington win.
All that’s left is for JGR to put the pieces together in 2025 and potentially return to being the most dominant four-car stable in NASCAR.
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