History was made at the Daytona International Speedway. Chase Briscoe recorded a lightning-fast lap around the 2.5-mile tri-oval in his No. 19 Camry XSE, earning him a pole at ‘The Great American Race’. The result is a milestone achievement for Joe Gibbs Racing, who haven’t taken the top spot at the Daytona 500 since Bobby Labonte in 1998, while manufacturer Toyota achieved the feat for the first time since their arrival in NASCAR.

It’s fair to say that Briscoe has made a flying start to his JGR career after replacing Martin Truex Jr. during the off-season. Will the racer go on to secure his second Cup Series win at the ‘World Center of Racing’?

Chase Briscoe credits team for monumental achievement

Chase Briscoe is the man of the moment. The Indiana native rocketed to the top of the charts ahead of the Daytona 500, recording a time of 49.249s in the final round. Driving the No. 19 Toyota, the racer posted the fastest lap out of the 10 cars, taking part in the second round of qualifying, after setting the best time in the first round. Driving at 182.745 miles per hour, the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver finished 0.076 ahead of Austin Cindric, breaking his team’s almost three-decade-long streak.

Chase Briscoe isn’t unfamiliar with driving his car to the limit, having secured two other poles in his career. Sharing his thoughts about the achievement, the racer candidly said, “[It’s] a great way to start our season. Unbelievable way to start off the year. Unbelievable way to start off with Toyota. To be able to be the guy to deliver them the first anything when they’ve already accomplished so much is pretty cool. Can’t thank Coach Gibbs enough, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization.” He concluded by saying, “For our 19 group to come here and sit on the pole at the biggest race of the year is pretty special.”

It’s just the start Briscoe would have wanted to begin his Joe Gibbs Racing career. The 30-year-old struggled on superspeedways last year but seems to have worked on his racecraft during the off-season. JGR is currently in unfamiliar territory, having last secured the pole at the Daytona 500 when Bobby Labonte recorded a lap time of 46.776 seconds, finishing just above his brother Terry. However, the No. 18 Pontiac didn’t manage to secure a win that year, as Dale Earnhardt triumphed in the season-opener, leading 107 laps out of 200.

It’s a fate Chase Briscoe will be hoping to avoid. Despite having the same equipment as Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, the racer outperformed his teammates as they finished sixth and eighth, respectively. If the Indiana native can show a similar pace at the Daytona 500, there is no reason why he couldn’t begin his 2025 Cup Series campaign with a win, automatically securing a postseason spot on the very first weekend. What a dramatic change in fortunes for the racer, who only made it to the playoff last year by winning the final race of the regular season.

Trending

1

NASCAR Rumors: $41B Japanese Giant to Outrun Dodge to Become NASCAR’s 4th Manufacturer Days After New Reports

2

“I’d Have Smacked Him”: NASCAR Veteran Sends a Strong Message to Defend Dale Earnhardt Jr. Against Fans’ Hate

3

Ryan Blaney Snatches Up $70 Billion Sponsor as They Leave Struggling F1 Team in the Dumps

4

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Gets His Own Detectives to Unravel a Mystery of His Father’s Legacy

5

Pressured by Brad Keselowski, Roger Penske Spills Truth on Reviving Joey Logano’s NASCAR Career

Briscoe is coming to terms with life at Joe Gibbs Racing

Cultural shock. That is what Chase Briscoe seems to have experienced after switching his allegiance to Joe Gibbs Racing. The driver spent four full seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series before the team ceased its operations at the end of 2024. A switch to one of NASCAR’s biggest teams was a blessing in disguise for the racer, who is still getting used to the higher standards, attention to detail, and the organization-wide professionalism that he has experienced after taking over Martin Truex Jr’s seat.

When asked about the differences between Stewart-Haas Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe told Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass, “There’s a lot of difference. Everything that’s going on, resources, the data, analytics, there’s so much that honestly truly opened my eyes as to just how vastly different it is. It’s kind of crazy to think that’s what I have raced against my entire Cup Series career. I’m definitely excited to get going.” The racer went on to say, “For me, it’s very overwhelming right now but it’ll get a lot easier to where I can just say, hey, at the end of Sunday night I can go look at this, read this, know this is where we need to be better and vice versa.”

Going by his performance during qualifying, it seems like the new and improved organization structure at Joe Gibbs Racing is benefitting Chase Briscoe on the racetrack. Could the 30-year-old be a standout performer for his new team this year? Time will tell. However, the signs going into the first race of the season look very encouraging, and it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the racer might even make a deep playoff run this time around.