For Chase Briscoe, qualifying at Charlotte was nothing short of a statement. Driving the #19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, the 2025 recruit stunned the field by locking down the pole for the Coca-Cola 600, edging out Kyle Larson for the top spot. It was a second pole of the season, following his Daytona 500 performance, indicating that Briscoe and JGR had figured it out at least on Saturdays. But the sport isn’t about where you start—it’s about how you finish.

Despite leading the field to green in one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events, Briscoe’s night at Charlotte quickly turned from promising to problematic. The pace that brought him glory and qualifying did not translate over a long run, and more critically, another pressing issue ruined his race. A series of small mistakes snowballed into a missed opportunity. And while some of the spotlight still lingers from his pole, what followed serves as a reminder that even the smallest misstep can turn a potential win into a lesson in frustration.

Chase Briscoe’s pit crew slips up

The turning point of Briscoe’s Charlotte run came during a routine pit stop that turned into anything but. IMSA Pit crew member Bozi Tatatrevic shared the footage of the botched pit stop, breaking down the compounding error step-by-step. The chaos began when the rear tire changer, Daniel, made his move around the car and swung the hose behind number 19. Normally, the tire carrier, CJ, would hop over it with ease, but this time, he got caught. With the hose trapped under his foot, CJ tried to improvise, continuing the stop while tangled in equipment. This was the first domino.

That split-second hesitation caused more than just a delay. As CJ tried to freeze the hose and adjust mid-motion, he fumbled with the adjustment wrench, struggling to slot it in correctly. Every second lost at this stage was a second gained by the competitors. The pressure mounted instantly—not just for the carrier, but for the entire stop’s rhythm. Pit stops are choreographed to perfection and work entirely on muscle memory. Any deviation can send ripples through the whole team, and that’s exactly what happened.

In a rush to recover, CJ bolted back towards the car, only to clip the tire against the front splitter, bouncing it away from the wall and wasting even more precious time. What started as a hose snag had now become a full-blown pit stop disaster. Briscoe, sitting in the car and relying on a fast turnaround, was left with the time loss that derailed his track position.

By the time Chase Briscoe rejoined the field, the damage was done. A solid run at the front had been sabotaged by pit lane execution, with Briscoe now mired back in traffic. It’s the kind of mistake that doesn’t just cost positions—it’s momentum and confidence. And for a driver trying to make a name for himself in a new organization, moments like this make it even harder.

By the time Briscoe rejoined the field, he had already fallen into 20th, now stuck in dirty air with no clean shot at the front. It was definitely a brutal turn of events for a pole sitter and a missed opportunity that perfectly illustrates how even small mistakes in the pits can destroy a race. But the Coca-Cola 600 is a pretty long race, and Chase Briscoe currently sits in 9th place as stage 3 comes to an end.

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Adapting to Joe Gibbs Racing

Joining Joe Gibbs Racing is a dream for most drivers, but it comes with the pressure to perform at a high level immediately. For Chase Briscoe, the transition has been anything but seamless. After years with Stewart-Haas Racing, he’s now navigating a fast car, a new system, and higher expectations. Early flashes of brilliance, like his pole at Daytona and again in Charlotte, have shown his potential. The week to be consistent—that’s still a work in progress.

Briscoe himself admits that he’s been hesitant behind the wheel this season. After securing a pole for the Coca-Cola 600, he opened up about a mental block that’s been holding him back. He is definitely not happy with his current state, but he still believes in the team. He goes on to say, ” For me, I feel like we are not even close to our full ability, and a lot of it just comes down to Saturdays. The cars have so much more potential than anything I’m used to driving in the Cup Series that a lot of time in qualifying, I’m just underdriving. The car can take so much more. Mentally, I’m so used to having to lift way back here, and this car will just take it.”

That kind of honesty is rare, but it sheds light on the psychological side of adapting to a top-tier team like JGR. It’s not that Briscoe lacks speed. His qualifying sessions proved he can wring out the car when it counts. And he isn’t running slow—he currently sits inside the playoff spots with four top-five finishes. But he isn’t winning multiple races like his teammates, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, either. That contrast only heightens the spotlight on Briscoe’s learning curve, especially in the team where winning is the standard, not the exception.

However, the good news is that Briscoe’s ceiling is still high, and JGR remains committed to giving him room to grow. As the season nears the midpoint, the focus now shifts to execution and the confidence that Briscoe has in his team. With a little polish and a few self-inflicted wounds, Chase Briscoe could yet turn the season into a breakthrough.