Chase Briscoe stepped into Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota full-time for 2025, bringing his dirt-track grit to a powerhouse team. His Pocono win in June locked him into the playoffs, seeding him eighth with 2010 points and a slim four-point edge above the cutline. That victory marked his third career Cup triumph, adding to a season of steady climbs. But could this be the year he turns heads even more?

Consistency has defined Briscoe’s run, with 10 (including 1 win) top-5s and three runner-up finishes at Sonoma, Dover, and Iowa. As Bob Pockrass noted on FOX Sports, “Briscoe has a win (Pocono) and three second-place finishes in his last 10 starts. If he keeps that kind of pace, he very well could find himself racing for the title at Phoenix.” Pockrass ranks him seventh in title odds, highlighting the surge. And Briscoe has himself made a statement about his championship chances that carries weight. So what’s his message for the garage?

Chase Briscoe’s bold title talk

In a media session captured by Peter Stratta on X, Chase Briscoe opened up about his championship mindset, a shift fueled by his move to Joe Gibbs Racing. “Yeah, for sure. You know, I was telling my wife that a couple weeks ago, like, you know, this is really the first time I’ve ever legitimately thought I could win a cup championship,” Briscoe said. This claim puts rivals on alert, backing it with his Pocono victory that snapped a winless streak since Darlington in 2024.

“This is my best chance to win a Cup championship” @chasebriscoe says amidst his first season in the @JoeGibbsRacing 19 Toyota. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/v7BTYMOwml

— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) August 27, 2025

His background, from ARCA champion in 2016 to Xfinity standout with nine wins in 2020, shows resilience, but JGR‘s resources elevate his threat. Briscoe elaborated on the internal competition, stating, “Honestly, it is the culture at JGR. You’re kind of racing your teammates to win every single week, and you know, so it’s not like, I mean, yeah, the championship, there’s a lot more on the line, but you still have a lot of experience of racing those guys for the win and battling up front with them.”

This underscores how battling Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs weekly sharpens his edge, a dynamic absent at Stewart-Haas. In the Next Gen era, since 2022, Briscoe’s Darlington average finish is 14.2, but his 2025 form suggests improvement at upcoming tracks like Bristol, where he earned a P4 in April.

His words challenge the field, especially with playoff tracks favoring consistency, Darlington, where the first race of the playoff is kicking off, which he won in 2024, and Talladega, site of his 2023 top-5. By claiming a “legitimate chance,” unlike past years, Briscoe signals he’s no underdog, drawing from JGR’s four titles since 2015.

As Briscoe eyes Phoenix, the playoffs loom with twists. And drivers face mixed fortunes heading into Darlington.

Darlington drama: Ups and downs await

Tyler Reddick brings strong vibes to the Southern 500, with three top-three Darlington finishes in the Next Gen car, as noted in Dustin Long’s NBC Sports analysis. “Reddick ranks first in the series in laps completed, having run 6,497 of the 6,511 laps (99.78%),” Long wrote. This reliability could propel him from 14th, one point below the cutline, especially with six top-10s at the track. Yet, his 23XI teammate Bubba Wallace, who won last year’s pole, has a pit crew ranked second per Racing Insights, offering a boost amid four top-10s in recent Darlington runs.

Denny Hamlin’s Darlington mastery shines, with a 7.9 average finish, the best for drivers with multiple starts, per Long. “Hamlin has led in the last 11 Darlington races, the track’s longest streak since Darrell Waltrip led 17 consecutive races there from 1976 to 1984,” the piece states. This positions him well from the third seed, but recent 24th-or-worse finishes in three of four races signal vulnerability. Meanwhile, William Byron‘s 9.1 Next Gen average at Darlington leads all, with Racing Insights ranking him first in restarts.

Alex Bowman scrapes in 16th, five points below the cutline, but his eight top-11s in 11 races offer hope, as Long highlights. “Bowman has only two lead-lap finishes in his last eight Darlington starts,” though, per the analysis, underscoring risks. Kyle Larson’s nine top-10s in 15 Darlington starts, including a win, make him a threat from the top seed, with the best pit crew per Racing Insights.