Toyota Racing President Sets the Bar High for Chase Briscoe After Being Called as the Replacement for Martin Truex Jr

At last, the worst-kept secret in NASCAR was finally out [officially, we mean]. Joe Gibbs Racing has officially recruited Chase Briscoe for the 2025 season, as a successor to retiring Martin Truex Jr. Ever since Stewart-Haas Racing announced its departure from NASCAR, all of its drivers have been left hanging.

Fortunately, JGR threw Briscoe a lifeline when Truex Jr announced that he would hang up his boots. Admittedly, everyone knew this, thanks to an unexpected blurt from Christopher Bell. The #20 driver’s mortification aside, that is a different kettle of fish, and Briscoe has officially been confirmed.

However, the driver has been warned that replacing someone of Truex Jr’s caliber is not easy. After all, he is the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion, even if he did not win with Joe Gibbs Racing. Additionally, he has had six years to build a rapport with his #19 team, something that Briscoe will have to start from scratch.

Recently, Toyota Racing president David Wilson spoke about Briscoe’s impending arrival. He told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “Anybody who sits in the #19 has big shoes to fill, as they say. Martin Truex is just a special talent. He’s not just a special talent, he’s just a good dude. That’s such a random thing to say, but that’s what you think of when you talk of Martin Jr. He’s just a good dude, man! He never forgets us, his teammates, and for that, we will run through brick walls for him and will continue to do so. He’s not done yet.”

Adding on to his words for Chase Briscoe, he further said, “I’ll say this while Martin finally came to a very difficult decision. He’s been kind of circling the drain on that decision for a couple of years. Joe Gibbs and myself, and our teams have had that car number circled on our ‘What are we going to do’ list for a couple of seasons.”

In essence, David Wilson praised Truex Jr’s character and spoke of how easy it was to get along with him. As per Wilson’s testimony, he is also incredibly loyal and declared that they would love to reciprocate. However, he did acknowledge that retirement was a very big step and that he needed time to ruminate on his decision.

Wilson and Joe Gibbs were also anticipating the day when the driver was going to call it quits. This is because they need to have a plan in place for after he retires. After all, the #19 car still needs a pilot, and Briscoe needs to prove that he is the man for the job.

David Wilson further outlined the policy of Joe Gibbs Racing that makes Chase Briscoe the best pick

Consistency is what all teams closely work towards in NASCAR or even any sport. And, for that, it’s very important that the team owners and VPs very well align their goals. Adding on to what JGR and other Toyota teams do best to maintain their best talents, David Wilson revealed some of their key elements.

He said, “One of the things that we believe in, is to maintain a balance in the ecosystem of that race team. Not have it too heavily rated for young talent or veterans to have a mixture. Collectively, we believe that Chase Briscoe is going to be the right fit. He is in the sports team, he has those reps underneath him. He has won at the highest level in the Next Gen car. We believe that, paired with our people, he can start winning races and competing upfront from day 1. Those are the metrics, the facts on a more human level, Chase is another good dude. He’s got a good character, I love the humility from which he came.”

Briscoe’s talent speaks for itself, as he has won in the NASCAR Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing. Additionally, he has often stepped up as a leader when the team has been struggling for pace or even wins. While a trip to Victory Lane has eluded him and his SHR teammates, he came awfully close last weekend at New Hampshire.

All that has probably validated Joe Gibbs and David Wilson’s decision to cash in their chips on Briscoe. Their team isn’t getting any younger, and Denny Hamlin is also in his 40s. At some stage, Joe Gibbs Racing has to look towards their own future in the NASCAR Cup Series arena.