NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe has laughed off the surprising way his upcoming switch to Joe Gibbs Racing was revealed. Set to replace Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 Toyota for the 2025 NASCAR season, Briscoe’s new move was accidentally leaked by fellow driver Christopher Bell.
Briscoe’s switch to Joe Gibbs Racing marks the end of an era with Stewart-Haas Racing, where he has spent his entire NASCAR Cup Series career. Briscoe rose through the NASCAR ranks, beginning with his Truck Series debut in 2017 and achieving success in the Xfinity Series with nine wins in the 2020 season.
With Stewart-Haas Racing ceasing operations at the end of 2024, Briscoe was among the drivers needing to find a new team. Martin Truex Jr.’s planned departure from full-time racing meant the No. 19 Toyota seat at JGR became available, presenting Briscoe with a golden opportunity.
At Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe is set to drive the No. 19 Toyota Camry XSE, with Bass Pro Shops as the primary sponsor. James Small will remain his crew chief. Christopher Bell accidentally revealed this career change during a media interaction at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Despite the unintended slip-up, Briscoe wasn’t initially aware of the mistake due to poor cell reception.
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Briscoe later humorously recounted the moment he found out about the leak. He explained on the Dinner With Racers podcast:
“That whole thing is pretty funny. At New Hampshire, there’s no signal. As soon as you get outside the motorhome lot, we don’t have StarLinks… I was going around in a sprint car and Christopher is parked across from me. So, I go over there and I talk to him.
“He’s joking around and he obviously knows I’m going over there [Joe Gibbs Racing]. We’re talking and I’m like, ‘I got to go to the sprint car race, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.’ As we’re pulling out of the motorhome lot, I get this text message from Christopher. All it says is, ‘Chase, I really f–ed up, I’m sorry.’ I was like, I didn’t know what he was talking about.
“I thought he just maybe said something stupid… I’m at the sprint car track and this reporter comes up to me and he’s like ‘What do you think about what Christopher said earlier?’, I’m like, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’. He goes ‘Oh, he said you’re going to JGR next year… His phone worked, he showed me the clip and it was really funny.”
Joe Gibbs Racing handled the unexpected announcement well, quickly confirming the news and holding an official press conference to formally welcome Briscoe to the team.
