Chase Briscoe Compares Life Under Joe Gibbs to Tony Stewart Amid Ongoing JGR Learning Curve

Chase Briscoe has been no stranger to change in his NASCAR journey. From grinding his way up through the ARCA, Xfinity, and Cup ranks to finding victory lane at the Cup level, the 30-year-old has navigated different team environments, ownership styles, and expectations while carving out his place among the sport’s top names. He’s enjoying high success in the playoffs right now at the JGR camp, after winning at Darlington and finishing runner-up at Gateway, behind fellow teammate Denny Hamlin. Though he’s still on his learning curve at JGR, he has noticed some differences from his past experience, not just about his driver growth, but also among his teams.

After years under the watch of Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, Briscoe is now making a fine name for himself with Joe Gibbs Racing. The shift has brought a fresh set of dynamics, from a different leadership presence and team culture, and with it, a new chapter in how he experiences life as a Cup driver. But how does he truly feel about the differences between the two worlds?

How has life been for Chase Briscoe at Joe Gibbs Racing?

Truthfully, moving to a new team is not an easy process. Especially considering that Briscoe was not just moving to a different team, but also a different manufacturer, switching from Ford to Chevy cars. As such, the scope of the learning curve could be massive, and it would have been fair to cut him some slack for taking his time to find his footing. And now, with his fiery form in the playoffs, it seems that he has indeed found it.

Speaking about the difference between his experience at JGR and his previous team, Stewart Haas Racing, Briscoe started on a light note, saying, “Celebration-wise, truthfully Sunday night we got home at 2:40 in the morning. Probably went to bed at 4 in the morning, my kids woke me up at 7:30 in the morning. So there wasn’t really a celebration. I would say that the feeling of winning felt a little bit different. Just cause it was such a sense of relief whenever we won Pocono. So that part of it felt different.”

Briscoe addressed his Pocono win, which carried a different weight for him, because it came out of the immense pressure that he was under to deliver after the shift from SHR. So it felt less like a party and more like a stress release.

He then spoke about being under different leaderships, and how his talks have been good with Joe Gibbs right now due to their wins. He said, “Coach is obviously around a lot more, but that’s just because this is what he does full-time. Tony and Gene obviously run other businesses as well and doing other stuff. I wouldn’t say that it’s really much different, winning, but definitely its nice to win and have Coach excited for sure.”

As Briscoe pointed out, Gibbs is far more hands-on, given that racing is his full-time focus, whereas Tony Stewart and Gene Haas often divide their time between other business ventures. While “winning” isn’t very different, wherever one is, but having an enthusiastic owner like Joe Gibbs around all the time definitely makes his work a bit more exciting.

JGR reaches a historic milestone

Joe Gibbs Racing reached a new pinnacle this week as Denny Hamlin powered his Toyota Camry to a historic win at the World Wide Technology Raceway. That victory marked the 200th NASCAR Cup Series win for Toyota, a significant moment for Toyota and JGR. Hamlin extended his own personal milestone by taking his Cup wins to a staggering 59, one short of equaling Kevin Harvick’s 60-win record.

The emotional weight of the milestone wasn’t lost on Hamlin either. After the victory, he quipped to the crowd, “You can either get on the bandwagon or get run over by it,” leaning into the moment with the trademark Hamlin touch.

The JGR teammates Hamlin and Briscoe become the first two to seal their spot in the Round of 12. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell sits at 8th position with 32 points above the cut. Though in a tough situation, he has proven his prowess in the past to rise to the occasion. A good top-10 is what he would need to finish with enough points to clear ahead in the next one.

With nailing milestones and playoff spots locking in, JGR’s blend of experience and rising talent signals a team ready to keep shaping NASCAR’s present and future.