When Martin Truex Jr. hung up his firesuit in 2024, Joe Gibbs was not worried. The stellar Cup Series team owner roped in a worthy driver to fill Truex’s No. 19 Toyota seat. And within a year, that decision has churned out phenomenal results. Chase Briscoe has wheeled his car to two victories, 17 top tens, and 13 top fives already – posing a legitimate threat in the championship battle. Yet his dusty roots may be driving this excellence more than the present.

Chase Briscoe, although a highly successful Cup Series driver at present, has his roots in dirt racing. What is more, Joe Gibbs relaxed his team’s rules about racing on dirt during weekdays after Briscoe’s arrival. A racing legend with similar roots recently divulged the right way to learn stock car racing, especially at a time of Next-Gen struggles.

A ‘dirty’ path to NASCAR 

After driving in the NASCAR Cup Series for 29 seasons, Ken Schrader has been a fan-favorite icon. The four-time Cup race winner has left his fans in awe by competing at a senior age – Schrader ran 64 races in 2024, at 69 years old. And behind Schrader’s NASCAR journey lies a rich dirt racing background. Beginning his career on the dirt tracks of Missouri, the legend went on to achieve several crowns, like the 1982 USAC Silver Crown Series championship. Hence, in a recent interview with Frontstretch, Schrader said, “You learn a lot on the dirt.” But it is far from easy, as Schrader continued: “a lot of habits you gotta break to start going asphalt racing.”

Yet Chase Briscoe achieved the same trajectory, as he started his racing career on the dirt tracks of Indiana. Like his family, he raced sprint cars on the rough and tumble bullrings of the Midwest. So Ken Schrader continued that he would have initiated his son, Sheldon, on the same path if he had been interested in racing. “I think that if…luckily, my son didn’t like anything about it, and that was great. And if son did, and you’re going on an unlimited budget, then you start him out on the asphalt, get him running on some dirt, get some laps, learn some different things there about car control and that.”

Having a solid background in dirt helps Chase Briscoe navigate the difficulties of NASCAR’s Next-Gen car. He successfully transitioned from Ford to Toyota, although he keeps facing similar issues. Ken Schrader talked about Briscoe’s views: “I’ve heard Chase Briscoe talking to Christopher Bell about how this stuff drove before when he was at Stewart-Haas… Chase said, ‘Oh no, this is gonna drive just as bad. It’s not gonna drive good, you’re just gonna go fast.’ I’m a pretty big fan of those guys. I know that they got their hands full.”

NASCAR raced at Bristol’s dirt track between 2021 and 2023. The Craftsman Truck Series also tore through the Eldora track from 2013 to 2019 during the Eldora Dirt Derby. In an interview in July, Chase Briscoe had expressed enthusiasm in bringing back that thrill: “I definitely think we need a dirt track just because we run on every discipline. We have superspeedway, short track, intermediate, road course, and you know, growing up, you’re either a road course guy, a short track racer, or a dirt racer.”

We do not know yet whether Ken Schrader and Chase Briscoe’s wishes would be fulfilled. However, we do know that Briscoe got a bitter reality check last Sunday.

A sick day stole his streak

As aforementioned, Chase Briscoe adapted to Joe Gibbs Racing with stellar speed. Wheeling a car from a different OEM towards a potential title is no mean feat. Briscoe has led 808 laps this season, more than his previous four Cup seasons combined. Yet that is not all – After winning the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener in Darlington, Briscoe embarked on a top ten streak. Through five races, he clinched three top fives and five top tens, displaying an average finish of 5.2. However, this brilliant record screeched to an end in last Sunday’s race at the Charlotte Roval.

Chase Briscoe battled nausea inside the No. 19 Toyota and asked his team for medication at the end of Stage 1. NBC Sports announcer Leigh Diffey said on the broadcast that Briscoe’s team gave him an ice pack to help. Eventually, he could finish in 14th place, breaking his top ten streak. Briscoe could beat both Joey Logano and Ross Chastain for the 7th berth in the Round of 8. He had outlined his goals before the race: “If we can go and outrun them in both stages and the race, then we can move on no matter what…But it all comes back down to the regular season and not performing in the first half of the season to get all the stage points and playoff points to put ourselves in a better position.”

Evidently, a dirt racing background is helping Chase Briscoe stay true to his ambitions. Let’s wait and see if Ken Schrader can watch his favorite driver grab the title!