“It Was a Super Hard Conversation”: Joe Gibbs Racing’s New Recruit Divulges His Stance on Leaving Ford

After Stewart-Haas Racing announced that they would shut their shop after 2024, Chase Briscoe was in trouble. The #14 driver got in touch with as many teams as he could, in order to secure his NASCAR Cup future. Eventually, it was Joe Gibbs Racing who came to his rescue, and it is now official that he will take over the #19 Toyota from a retiring Martin Truex Jr.

Of course, this move is a pretty big one for Briscoe, as he will link up with a brand-new manufacturer. For most of his NASCAR career, he has been in the Ford stable, with a slight Toyota and Dodge experience under his belt too. During the 2013 ARCA Series West, he drove for Toyota for three races. Later on, during the 2015 ARCA Menards Series, he ran five races for Dodge.

However, this will be completely new territory for the 29-year-old. There is a world of difference between the ARCA Series and the Cup Series, and Briscoe will be aware of that. In a recent appearance on the Stacking Pennie podcast, the driver opened up about how hard his decision was.

Was it difficult for Chase Briscoe to part ways with Ford?

As someone who grew up in the Ford family, this decision must have weighed heavily. Stewart-Haas Racing was his home for so long, and they have shaped his career in so many ways. Unfortunately, eras end, and SHR will no longer be on the Cup grid at full capacity.

While Corey LaJoie discussed how he would be a successful driver during the Stacking Pennies podcast episode on June 28th, Chase Briscoe revealed insights on his Ford departure, “It was honestly really hard. It messed with me. I’ve been with Ford, I mean without Ford I’m never even in the position to get a contract offer from anybody. It was really, really hard for me to leave Ford, truthfully. I felt super loyal to them, it was a super hard conversation for me to go have with them. Just tell them what I was going to do.“

Chase Briscoe enjoyed most of his success in the Xfinity Arena, winning 11 races. Nine of those came during the 2020 season, where he finished 4th in the championship. His performances were enough to earn him a promotion to the Cup Series battlefield in 2021. All this while, he was proudly sitting behind the wheels of a Ford. After a quiet year of learning the ropes, he hit the ground running with a win in 2022 but has struggled to return to Victory Lane ever since.

The driver justified his move to a team of JGR’s caliber

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Of course, Briscoe is like any other driver who wants to bring himself to the next level. For the past few years, Stewart-Haas Racing has been hitting a plateau in terms of performance. With his last win coming at the Phoenix Raceway in 2022, is it really surprising that he sought out a top team?

Briscoe continued, “Truthfully, I feel like, if you can get in a Hendrick or a Gibbs car at any point in your career, you have to do it. It’s the best opportunity in the garage. As loyal as I wanted to be, it was just an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. From a performance standpoint, even what it can do for my family, financially. Just the security of it, if you go run good. It is impossible to say no to.”

In a way, Chase Briscoe is absolutely right, as letting such an opportunity slip through their grasp would be ludicrous for any driver. He is confident that Joe Gibbs Racing can help him return to the Victory Lane. Given the organization’s recent performances with Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, his motives are very well justified.