Chase Briscoe will embark on a new journey in 2025. After driving the legendary No.14 car, he will now join Joe Gibbs Racing to drive the iconic No.19 Toyota. Despite having a notable journey with Stewart-Haas Racing his move to JGR has been one of the most talked-about transitions in NASCAR.

Recently, Briscoe shared the intriguing story behind his journey to JGR. He revealed how a fellow driver played a pivotal role in saving his NASCAR career. Briscoe also recounted the moment when Joe Gibbs welcomed him to the team with a stern warning.

Briscoe’s received an unexpected welcome at Joe Gibbs Racing

In the latest episode of Dinner with Racers Briscoe recalled his transition to Joe Gibbs Racing. He recalled how he learned about the opportunity at JGR and ended up in one of the most coveted seats in NASCAR. “Christopher saved my career again. He said, well, I think Martin’s gonna be gone. He said, and if I’m you, I’m freaking knocking their door down all the time.”

Briscoe told Dinner with Racers about his extensive relationship with Christopher Bell. Notably, Bell and Briscoe are childhood friends. They both started their journey from dirt and sprint racing before making it to NASCAR. Now, the encouragement forced Briscoe to message JGR team president Dave Alpern which led to a deal within a week. Briscoe further had some key discussions with Dave and went for a race. However, a surprise message from Joe Gibbs led the further discussions. This message turned out to be career-changing for Briscoe as he met Gibbs. However, things didn’t go that smoothly as Gibbs revealed to Briscoe that Martin Truex Jr was yet to make the final call on his NASCAR future. Gibbs revealed that No.19 would only be offered to Briscoe once Martin made up his mind.

This meeting forced Briscoe to continue his search for a seat. As per Briscoe, he met multiple team owners in the next few days before a surprise call from Gibbs finally handed him the iconic Toyota seat. However, the decision came with a stern warning from a former soccer coach. “So, Wednesday it’s 1055 and my phone rings and it says, Joe Gibbs. And I’m like, hold, like, this is going to dictate. So, the coach calls and, he says, ‘You better not screw this up.’ I said, screw what up? He said you’re going to be in the 19 next year,” Briscoe recalls.

Gibbs’s comments reveal how important the no.19 Toyota charter for his team. Under Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing had some great results. He had led them to the Cup Series Championship in 2017 with the No.78 car. Meanwhile, in No. 19 Toyota Truex Jr. won 15 races and had more than 200 race starts. However, Chase Briscoe is not new in facing challenges to lead the legacy. In his rookie Cup Series season, Briscoe got the opportunity to drive his idol Tony Stewart’s no.14 car. Briscoe didn’t let his team down by winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 2021. His recent victory at Darlington also marks Stewart-Haas Racing’s final win in NASCAR.

The iconic No.19 seat at Joe Gibbs Racing comes with a lot of pressure and expectation for Chase Briscoe. The 29-year-old starting from Indiana will need to make a lasting impact with his racing skills. While speaking about the same, Briscoe had acknowledged the upcoming challenge.

“I love the pressure side, but I do think this is probably the most pressure I’ve ever been (under) in my life, as far as professionally. It’s weird because there have been other times when my career was literally gonna be over, right? But I feel like this is one of those opportunities where if you don’t perform, like, there’s no excuses. Like, you have to perform at JGR. So from that standpoint, it is different because everywhere else, there’s not been that expectation,” Briscoe had told NASCAR earlier this year.

After his recent success with Stewart-Haas Racing Chase Briscoe will look to replicate it with Joe Gibbs Racing.

A heartfelt goodbye for a veteran

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Chase Briscoe only found a spot in the JGR team because Martin Truex Jr. made the fateful decision to retire after 2024. It meant his incredible partnership with Ty Gibbs came to an end. Gibbs, one of the most prolific young drivers on the grid, found a mentor in MTJ, and commemorated it with an Instagram post captioned, “Cheers on the next chapter, buddy.” 

This was just one incident when one of the two showed their admiration for the other. Once asked about MTJ, Gibbs went on to say, “Yeah, I’ve looked up to Martin in my younger career. I really like Martin, and he’s been good to my race team and my family. So, I really appreciate Martin a lot. I think he’s a great person, and so we’ll see what happens, but I wish him the best of luck.”

It might not be the last time Gibbs can race with Martin Truex Jr. Although retired, MTJ expressed a desire to return for the Daytona 500, he might just do so in a Joe Gibbs Racing car. While the details aren’t ironed out, it looks quite likely that Ty Gibbs and Truex Jr. can partner up for one last ride.