While the NASCAR Cup race has entertained the on-track community, the drama of the Silly Season has taken center stage in recent weeks. And of course, the move of Chase Briscoe to Joe Gibbs Racing as the replacement for Martin Truex Jr. has captured everyone’s attention. Although the SHR driver was the favorite to take the No. 19 car, Joe Gibbs and his team had some challenges to overcome.
On the one hand, they had to compete with other potential teams that could compete to sign the driver. At the same time, they also had to secure and maintain the financial strength to continue the team for next season. And if Joe Gibbs is to be believed, they were pretty much primed and ready to acquire Brisco after MTJ decided to retire.
Joe Gibbs Racing struck a perfect deal in bagging their new driver
There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Bass Pro Shops. There were rumors that they might break up their partnership with JGR by helping Noah Gragson find a spot with Richard Childress Racing. Like Truex Jr., Gragson is supported by Bass Pro Shops as a primary sponsor.
So, in theory, the $8 billion company could have secured the driver’s future with a new team by severing ties with JGR. But Joe Gibbs had all the plans in place in case Truex Jr. decided to retire.
And as soon as they got the go-ahead from an experienced driver, the JGR team started pulling the lever. “So we’ve been working on this for quite some time, and after analyzing things and looking at a number of drivers, it became clear that we chose the Chase. Our problem was that other people wanted the Chase too. So when Martin told me, we wanted to go to the Chase right away and get this over with right away,” team owner Joe Gibbs said in an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
He also thanked Bass Pro Shops for sticking with them despite the opportunity to work with the young rider and support his new project. “So it’s been a really great process for us with Johnny from Bass Pro doing everything for the sport. Not only is he on our car, but he’s a big name in our sport, and Johnny Morrison from Bass Pro, it’s really great to have him continue with us. We’ve actually been working on what I said for the last couple of months now. We analyzed everything so that we could leave as soon as the decision was made. ”
Bass Pro Shops’ decision to stick with JGR might have helped Silly Season get back on track. He’ll have to consider other potential options, especially now that Noah Gragson can’t move to RCR.
The rumored plan for Gragson to secure a move to RCR is now a bust. Even if everything works out for the driver, RCR doesn’t have space available for a driver and would need to buy a new charter. Fortunately, his hopes are not completely lost, as several teams are looking for drivers.
Front Row Motorsports seems like a good option now. It’s worth noting that Michael McDowell will be moving to Spire next season, and the team has purchased an additional charter to expand to three cars. So there are two free spots available at FRM instead of just one. The other option is for Gene Haas to stay in-house with the Haas Factory team, as he retains his own charter and intends to continue racing in NASCAR.
But he would have to compete for those spots with the likes of Cole Custer and Josh Berry, who are also currently linked to HFT. Additionally, with Briscoe confirming his move to JGR, there was also the possibility of Gragson moving to Wood Brothers Racing.
Before MTJ announced his retirement, WBR had a close relationship with SHR’s longest-tenured driver. But now that he’s moved to JGR, Gragson is a better alternative in terms of both talent and sponsorship support. Again, these are just speculations trying to figure out the connections, but that’s exactly what makes the Silly Season so exciting. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the Silly Season puzzle unfolds in the coming weeks as drivers and teams make moves.
