The Silly Season NASCAR drama gave the community another unexpected gift. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell unintentionally revealed that Chase Briscoe will take over the team’s No. 19 car starting in 2025. The gaffe was quickly met with laughter, with Kyle Larson chiming in with a witty response.
He tried to bail out Bell, joking that maybe Bell meant Chase Elliott, not Briscoe. Some Chase Elliott fans were caught off guard and didn’t understand the news. Larson’s comments were just a joke on social media. However, fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Elliott provides clarity about his future at HMS.
Bell’s muck-up saw even Rick Hendrick sharing memes with his driver
Unlike most NASCAR drivers, Elliott shuns social media. He’ll share a post or two every now and then, but that’s it. So it’s very possible that he missed the hype when Larson put an X on him. But that turned out not to be the case. “Yeah, I heard about that,” the driver said during Sunday’s pre-race press conference when asked about the whole debacle.
He also talked about a funny conversation he had with his boss, Mr. H, as the drama unfolded: “It was funny, even though my boss actually sent me a message about someone else. I don’t know who sent it to him or anything else.
Anything is possible there. He sent me this screenshot that I’m quitting and going somewhere else and taking over the team. So obviously all sorts of things happened this week that I didn’t know about. So I’ll probably be driving for JGR now too.” I don’t believe it. “
“But I felt sorry for Bell. It was a very honest mistake. As you can see, it was a real mistake. But I’m happy for Briscoe. I mean, it’s going to be a really good opportunity for him and I hate that Bell delivered the news. I think he got in trouble because of it, but it’s OK. He’ll come out in due course,” the driver added.
Now that Elliott has confirmed he’ll stay with HMS, the focus shifts to Sunday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, a track where the 28-year-old has yet to win.
The Magic Mile is unlike any other racetrack
It’s actually hard to categorize Loudon as a short track or a 1.5 mile track. The 1,058 miles is a combination of both, with sharp corners and long straights on both sides of the track. Unlike most ovals, this particular race track only has a 7 degree bank, making it one of the flattest tracks on the NASCAR calendar.
Chase Elliott certainly understood how tough it is to compete for a win on a challenging circuit like NHMS. He shared his insight into the unique characteristics of the circuit, adding: “I think the hardest thing at Loudon is always the lack of lean…You have flat corner entrances, long straights that go at a fair bit of speed, and there are bumps in between. All three of those things can be a little unsettling, so it’s really important to find the right balance and comfort level that you want in your car.”
With consecutive top-five finishes, Elliott is sure to be one of the favorites to win the USA Today 301 Cup race at Loudon. Perhaps Elliott can get his first Magic Mile victory on Sunday and further solidify his chances of winning the regular season championship.
