That didn’t last long. Just weeks after being released by Stewart-Haas Racing, Chase Briscoe has found a new home for 2025.
The former driver of Stewart-Haas Racing’s soon-to-be-defunct No. 14 Ford will officially be installed as the driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota next season. He will replace outgoing driver Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement from full-time NASCAR Cup Series racing at the end of this year.
Rumors of the move began shortly after Truex announced his intentions at Iowa Speedway. The rumor was more or less confirmed by JGR driver Christopher Bell, who made a gaffe during a press conference at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last Friday, seemingly acknowledging that Chase Briscoe would be replacing Truex. “It could be whoever runs a good race that week.
So I don’t think there’s any real leadership in that respect, and that’s the case when Chase gets in the car,” Bell said, then paused to look down, red-faced and laughing, and say, “I’m not going to be able to do that.” A few days before Truex announced his departure, Briscoe was informed the team was closing down.
As soon as team co-owner Tony Stewart broke the news to the drivers, Briscoe sprung into action. “That was the first thing I asked when Tony sat us all down and asked if we had any questions,” Briscoe said. “I said, ‘Yeah, what does this mean for us as far as being able to talk to other teams?’ And he said, ‘You guys are free to do whatever you want.’ So, literally while I was sitting in the room, I started texting people, letting them know, ‘Hey, I’m going to be available and need to find something.’”
It appears those text messages worked. “I’m excited for this opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing and Bass Pro Shops,” Briscoe said. “From a competition standpoint, JGR is the place to be if you want to go win races week in and week out and to race for the championship every year.”
The 29-year-old Indiana native has built an impressive resume in his NASCAR career dating back to 2017. He’s scored Rookie of the Year honors in all three of NASCAR’s national touring series and his first win in the Cup series in 2022
Whether it was timing, or something that was in process as part of the Truex news, Briscoe will now join one of the most successful organizations and teams in NASCAR. Founded in 1992, the team has 424 victories in NASCAR’s premier touring car series, including 214 victories in the top Cup Series. The organization has won nine championships, including five in the Cup Series. Since Truex took over the No. 19 car in 2019, he has won 15 Cup races.
In addition, Tuesday’s announcement said Bass Pro Shops will remain with the team and will be prominently featured in the No. 19 through the 2025 season. “It has been an honor to serve alongside Martin Truex Jr. for the past 21 years and our friends at Joe Gibbs Racing for the past six,” said Johnny Morris, a prominent environmental activist and founder of Bass Pro Shops. “I’m proud to represent athletes across North America as I expand my relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota and Chase Briscoe.”
Briscoe finished second in Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and currently sits 16th in the points standings. “I’m honored to partner with Johnny Morris and Bass Pro to continue the tradition for the 2019 model year,” Briscoe said. “For me personally, as an avid nature lover, I’m very proud to be part of the Bass Pro brand and very grateful for this partnership. When I met Johnny, I felt I shared a lot of the same values with him and the coaches, and I’m ready to put in the work and prove that they made a great choice by putting me in this car.”
Briscoe will work with crew chief James Small, who has led Martin Truex Jr. to eight wins since taking over the crew chief role in 2020. He led the No. 19 team to a runner-up finish in the Championship Four in 2021 and the Regular Season Championship in 2023. “Johnny, JP and everyone at Bass Pro Shops,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing. “I talk about this a lot, but one of the great things about our sport is the relationships you can build around your team and I’m really grateful to have been able to build that with everyone at Bass Pro Shops. Of course, we do a lot of research before selecting a driver, but throughout that process, everything just kept leading us to Chase. With James’ (Small) leadership, Chase’s direction, the support of Bass Pro and of course Toyota, we couldn’t be more excited about the future of our 2019 team.”
