Pressure levels are peaking in the NASCAR Cup Series right now. The upcoming race, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, presents the last chance for 20 drivers to win their way into the 2025 playoffs. Chase Briscoe is not among them, as the No. 19 Toyota driver won in Pocono besides clinching 12 top tens and 10 top fives. After leaving Stewart-Haas Racing, Briscoe has adapted to the high demands of Joe Gibbs Racing. But even while relaxing, Briscoe cannot deny his responsibility towards his teammate.

In his third full-time Cup Series season, Ty Gibbs is in the doldrums. His stats so far are half of the total numbers clinched in 2024 – four top fives and six top tens as compared to eight top fives and 12 top tens. Hence, Gibbs is heavily banking his hopes on Daytona for one last shot at the playoffs. And Chase Briscoe is there for assistance.

Chase Briscoe gets into duty mode

Ty Gibbs had a brief glimmer of success a few weeks ago. After quietly surging through NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament, the 21-year-old defeated Ty Dillon’s ‘Cinderella run. Yet, grabbing the lucrative $1 million is hardly enough for the youngster to match up to his multi-race-winning teammates. In last weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway, chaos unfolded for the No. 54 JGR team.

Gibbs picked up a speeding penalty on lap 37 during his first stop, then exacerbated the damage by breaking pit road speed again on lap 74. The double penalties, along with late-race brake troubles, left Gibbs licking his wounds with a P18 finish. Now, only Daytona lingers on his horizon as a last chance.

And Chase Briscoe recognizes his teammate’s need and is ready to act on it. The No. 19 Toyota driver wants to do as much as he can to help Gibbs, without needing any instruction.

Briscoe told Frontstretch recently, “We haven’t really talked about it…I think it’s common sense, right? If he can push him vs another guy, you definitely push him…just let them have the best opportunity. All three of us are still racing for playoff points. It’s a big thing, whether it’s racing or stage points or whatever. I think you’re conscious of that.” 

Chase Briscoe recollected his own time at Stewart-Haas Racing, when he was the only driver to win in Darlington and enter the 2024 playoffs. At that time, his teammates pushed him to stay alive in the postseason: “I’ve been that one car in SHR, we were in the playoffs, right? And you have three teammates all helping you stay in the playoffs.”

Presently, the No. 19 Toyota’s comfortable situation is a source of relief for Chase Briscoe. He said, “It’s kind of nice. I’ve kind of done it two different ways now, where I think the first year, I won the second or third race in Phoenix. And then I’ve won the last race of the regular season…It’s definitely nice. When we go to Darlington, I already know I’m in the playoffs.”

He compared his situation to other rivals, including Ty Gibbs, who are in tight spots. “There’s nothing crazy that’s gonna knock me out of it, like a lot of guys that are on that bubble, they don’t know what their future holds.”

While Chase Briscoe helps Ty Gibbs secure his 2025 future, Briscoe envisions his own long-term future. And it does not involve NASCAR.

Seeking a return to his roots

In June 2025, Chase Briscoe defeated his veteran teammate, Denny Hamlin. He stretched his fuel and held off Hamlin to win the 160-lap race in Pocono. However, behind clinching his third Cup Series victory lies a rich background of racing history. Long before Briscoe entered NASCAR, he grew up driving 410 sprint cars, the most powerful major class of open-wheel dirt racing.

This beginning in dirt racing translated into over 150 wins in feature events for Briscoe. That allowed him to clinch a victory at a Craftsman Truck Series event in Eldora Speedway in 2018. Moreover, Briscoe has admitted how this dirt racing history helps him in NASCAR: “It slows the Cup car down so much when I run [dirt] before the weekend.”

Hence, Chase Briscoe’s future ambitions also linger around his roots. He recently admitted that his sprint racing may be done, with his wife Marissa giving birth to twins last year. Briscoe said, “We had twins last year. So having three kids now, it just makes it harder to tell my wife, ‘Hey, I’m going to leave a couple days early (before a NASCAR race) and go run some sprint car races.’”

However, he hopes to do sprint racing in a different capacity in the future. That could be fielding a team in World of Outlaws or High Limit Racing. Briscoe said, “WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO. Literally my dream. Just have to find the sponsorship for it or find a team that would be willing to allow me to be a part of theirs.”

Clearly, Chase Briscoe hopes to secure his own future alongside his teammates. Meanwhile, helping Ty Gibbs pull through Daytona is paramount; let us wait and see how the JGR racers perform.