The new year brings new relationships. For Chase Briscoe, he may have to let go of more than just his ride at Stewart-Haas Racing. The legacy team in the NASCAR Cup Series announced its closure in May 2024, after 16 long years of stellar racing. SHR wanted to go out with glory – and Briscoe delivered. He won its 70th Cup victory in Darlington and proudly displayed the colors of Mahindra Tractors. Now, Joe Gibbs will change things a bit.

Tony Stewart’s $9.4 Billion sponsor has been in NASCAR for the past three years. Mahindra has helped Briscoe mold himself into a high-achieving Cup Series driver. However, now it appears Joe Gibbs will not bring Mahindra along with Briscoe into the next phase of his ambitious journey.

Joe Gibbs leaving behind a long-time partner

The Mitchell, Indiana native, was a force to reckon with even before his Cup stint. In his Xfinity Series debut year in 2018, Chase Briscoe won in just his 14th start. 2020 was a landmark year, as he cracked the Championship 4 after winning a series-leading 9 races. He translated this glimmer of success into his Cup Series career. In 2022, Mahindra Tractors entered NASCAR for the first time, putting together a 15-race schedule for Briscoe as his primary sponsor. Wheeling the SHR Ford No. 14 car, Briscoe won in just his 40th start that year at Phoenix Raceway.

Mahindra sponsored Chase Briscoe‘s glorious finishes – 7 top-fives and 13 top-ten finishes in 49 events. Now, however, the situation has changed as Briscoe will wheel the No. 19 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Briscoe will take over the car of the retiring Martin Truex Jr. but he won’t be bringing one sponsor along with him.

In an Ask Me Anything (AMA) for r/NASCAR on Reddit, Briscoe clarified a doubt about Mahindra’s presence as his sponsor. He highlighted how Gibbs is very meticulous about the team. “I’d say the biggest thing is just how Coach is extremely involved in the day to day and how he’s always at the shop. Currently no plans to have Mahindra on the car unfortunately.”

With Mahindra Tractors bowing out, Chase Briscoe will now work with a different sponsor. Bass Pro Shops has been the No. 19 sponsor for many years, helping Joe Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. fetch multiple victories. Now the sponsor is ready to support Truex’s replacement, and the latter is ready as well. Briscoe said back in June 2024, “I am blessed that Johnny Morris and Bass Pro are on board to help us carry on the legacy of the 19 car. As an avid outdoorsman, I feel a lot of pride in now being a part of the Bass Pro brand, and I’m extremely grateful for this partnership.”

Despite the broken ties, Briscoe’s first Cup race win with Mahindra will always be special.

The victory that turned heads

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Chase Briscoe was already a massive contender at Phoenix Raceway. In his lone Craftsman Truck Series start at the racetrack, he qualified 8th and finished 4th. Across the four Xfinity starts, he never finished outside the top ten. So when he beat the who’s who in the Cup Series in March 2022, it came as no surprise. In his third Cup start in Phoenix, Briscoe held off Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, and the all-time winningest driver in Phoenix, Kevin Harvick. He started 6th and led three times for 101 laps before winning with a 0.771-second margin over Chastain. He became just the third driver in history to notch up his first Cup race win in Phoenix after NASCAR Hall of Famer Alan Kulwicki (1988) and Bobby Hamilton (1966) did so.

And of course, Mahindra Tractors had his back when Briscoe scored this illustrious win. He thanked both SHR and Mahindra for pulling him out of uncertainty and placing him on the path to success. “I mean, this is definitely a team win. I got to thank everyone that has gotten me to this point. Seven years ago, I was sleeping on a couch, ready to give up. They gave me an opportunity and it’s led to this… To get this No. 14 back in Victory Lane, to do it with Mahindra Tractors, their first year in the sport, everybody that’s believed in me – it’s unbelievable.” 

Yet all good things come to an end. Now Briscoe is looking forward to a new journey under Joe Gibbs.