As the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs heat up toward Phoenix, Denny Hamlin stands firm with 6 wins this season, chasing that elusive first title. But whispers inside the shop hint at shifting dynamics that could even test his resolve. Crew chief James Small, steering the No. 19 team alongside Chase Briscoe, has voiced unshakeable confidence in their setup, drawing from a Talladega win that locked them into Phoenix. Yet, as Small’s eyes close out strong goals, the air thickens with the kind of internal rivalry that defines elite organizations.

Briscoe’s surge, capped by that gritty Talladega win, has Small calling out early skeptics who forgot the No. 19’s near-misses from 2024. “People have very short memories of the success we’ve had before,” Small noted post-race. And with Martinsville looming as a short-track grinder where Briscoe’s average finish is around 12, the focus sharpens on Phoenix’s prowess. Let’s listen to what the No. 19 boss has to say.

James Small’s drive ignites intra-team fire

On the latest SiriusXM NASCAR Radio broadcast, James Small opened up about molding the No. 19 around Briscoe, a far cry from his five seasons tuning Martin Truex Jr.’s style. “You know, I knew it was going to be tough to get going, but… we had a lot of belief in this team and what we had put together with… Chase and some of the new people,” Small shared.

“It was a learning experience… especially at the start. And a lot of our process had changed… with how we went about… getting to the track every week… especially… with the driver that was coming in. And… it was just very, very different to what we’d been doing… for the previous… five seasons.”

💭 @JoeGibbsRacing crew chief James Small discusses the team’s third win of the year @TALLADEGA, locking them into the Championship 4 ⬇️

🗣️ “It’s been a great year, but we expected that if we all did our jobs right we could perform at this level.”

🎧 https://t.co/WGRTG5gnEd pic.twitter.com/C7DUWPpku4

— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) October 23, 2025

This tuning paid off big at Talladega, where Briscoe, aided by a selfless push from teammate Ty Gibbs, edged Bubba Wallace on the final lap for the win that locked them in for Phoenix. Small’s tweaks, sharper prep focus, and adapting to Briscoe’s aggressive edge echoed his 2023 success with Truex, including three victories, but now fuel a bolder trajectory that clashes against Hamlin’s title path.

That belief crystallized in Small’s preseason target: four wins to benchmark their potential. “In my pre-yearly aspirations, I had four wins down… we’re at three right now and hopefully we can get one more,” he told SiriusXM. “It’s been a great year, but… we expected that… if we all did our jobs right, we could perform at this level.”

With Martinsville up next—a 0.526-mile paperclip where Briscoe’s best is two top-fives but no victories—Small’s gaze fixes on Phoenix, the 1-mile intermediate where Briscoe notched his first Cup win in 2022 and averages an 18th-place finish since. JGR competition director Chris Gabehart, Hamlin‘s longtime ally, couldn’t hide his admiration post-Talladega: “I knew that team had the makeup of a real dangerous combination. They were all motivated.”

Gabehart‘s nod, from a shop vet who’s seen Hamlin’s 60 career wins, including six this year. Gabehart’s admiration underscores how Briscoe-Small’s Cinderella run, a talent from shuttered Stewart-Haas Racing, threatens to upend Hamlin’s chase for that first elusive trophy. And especially if that fourth win lands where intermediates crown kings.

Small doubled down on the No. 19’s edge heading to the desert, saying, “Now we’re going to Phoenix, I’m thankful (that) we have the best people working on our team. We have the greatest people back at JGR. It’s just a pleasure to be able to represent them.” Backed by JGR‘s unmatched sim time and data from Hamlin’s own strong Phoenix showing, this praise highlights a unified front.

For Hamlin, whose crew chief, Chris Gayle, is new this year after a promotion shuffle. But the praise stings amid his 14 playoff victories but zero titles, turning team harmony into a subtle knife’s edge.

JGR eyes potentially three cars in the mix—Hamlin, Briscoe, and maybe Christopher Bell. The real question lingers on who grabs the crown.

JGR’s championship frontrunner emerges

Denny Hamlin enters Phoenix with unmatched pedigree, his six 2025 wins tying him for 10th all-time at 60, plus 14 playoff triumphs that dwarf his stablemates. Yet Chase Briscoe’s blistering consistency with 15 top-fives, a series best—and the most miles led (1,258)—makes him the wildcard.

Crew chief James Small captured their dominance after Talladega: “We’re consistently, in my opinion, the best team in the series. We scored more points than anybody, more poles, and had the most points in the playoffs here. Now we’re going to Phoenix.” This isn’t hype; Briscoe’s 881 laps led rank third overall, building on his 2022 Phoenix breakthrough amid JGR’s last multi-car title push in 2019.

Christopher Bell lurks with steady fire, his crew chief, Adam Stevens, owning two Cup rings from Kyle Busch’s days, and no finishes worse than eighth in seven races. But Briscoe owns the bravado: “Definitely, whoever wins this championship is going to be more than deserving. Hopefully it’s obviously me.”

His pressure-free vibe, forged in Talladega’s chaos, contrasts Hamlin’s veteran load, positioning the No. 19 as JGR’s sleeper threat in a finale where intermediates reward the bold.