Chase Briscoe named to drive No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in 2025

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed Chase Briscoe will succeed Martin Truex Jr. and drive for them in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025.

Christopher Bell made his slip of the tongue official Tuesday. Bell on Friday name-dropped “Chase when he gets here” when talking about the team leadership.

“It is my honor to announce the full name of our driver for the No. 19 next year. Chase Briscoe,” Bell said Tuesday.

Since first racing in the NASCAR national series full-time in 2017, Briscoe has raced for Ford. Next season will mark a shift away from that.

“From a competition standpoint, JGR is the place to be if you want to go win races week in and week out and to race for the championship every year. I am blessed that Johnny Morris and Bass Pro are on board to help us carry on the legacy of the 19 car,” Briscoe said.

Briscoe is currently racing for Stewart-Haas Racing, a team on its way out the door. He said before the race weekend at Iowa Speedway that he started talking with other teams once Tony Stewart gave him the greenlight upon announcing the closure May 28.

Briscoe said Tuesday that he texted all of the team presidents he knew. One of those team presidents was JGR President Dave Alpern, who asked him to breakfast less than two days later. By June 4, Briscoe said Tuesday he signed a deal with JGR.

“The next Tuesday, I was signed,” Briscoe said.

James Small will return as crew chief for the No. 19 team with Briscoe in 2025. He has been crew chief for the team since 2020.

“We’re all super excited for the team. We’ve been in limbo in recent years. So this allows us to build for the future. We both have a lot to prove and so I’m looking forward to next season,” Small said.

Bass Pro Shops will also return to partner with Small, Briscoe and JGR.

“You know Chase’s record in racing, I didn’t realize his upbringing in racing. Him starting off in racing reminded me of country singer Chris Janssen. He lived out of his car following his passion. I think of how I started Bass Pro out of the back of my dad’s liquor store. And Chase, I’m excited that Joe picked you. Anything is possible in America for someone like you,” said Johnny Morris, the CEO of Bass Pro Shops.

Gibbs explained the process was a “huge deal” for the team.

“We went through this for months and we talked to I don’t know how many people who could come to our car. What really hit all of us, his background and what he’s already done. The thing is his background, the sacrifices he made to race hit Johnny [Morris, CEO of Bass Pro Shops],” owner Joe Gibbs said. [But ultimately] We have to win. We came to the end and we think Chase can win.”

Briscoe will join Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin at JGR in 2025. With the team putting one car in the Championship Four every year, the mission is clear.

“I gotta go win and prove my worth,” Briscoe said.

David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development USA, issued this statement on Briscoe:

“We are very excited to welcome Chase Briscoe to the Toyota family next season. Chase’s proven high character and racing acumen will fit perfectly amongst the talented drivers in the Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota camps. We believe in Chase and look forward to all of the on-track success he will achieve aboard a Toyota Camry XSE.”

Footnote

Here is what Joe Gibbs said about Briscoe racing on dirt:

“It’s important to Christopher [Bell] and all of our drivers. What we developed is if someone wants to run a race, they come to us, then the crew chief, then competition. We talk it over. It has a lot to do with the car, racetrack and we go forward. There will be times, we’ll just use common sense. I know it’s really important to him.”