Although the news shouldn't be too much of a surprise, as Christopher Bell accidentally leaked the news in a press conference at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last weekend. On Tuesday, it was Bell himself who introduced Briscoe at the JGR press conference.
Bass Pro Shops will continue to serve as a primary sponsor on the No. 19 car, and James Small will remain as the crew chief.
“I’m excited for this opportunity with Joe Gibbs Racing and Bass Pro Shops,” Briscoe said. “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. For me personally, being an avid outdoorsman, there’s a lot of pride in now being a part of the Bass Pro brand and I’m extremely grateful for this partnership. Getting to meet Johnny, I feel like I share a lot of the same values as him and Coach, and I’m ready to get to work and prove that they have made a great choice putting me in this car.”
Briscoe, 29, has spent the entirety of his NASCAR Cup Series career with Stewart-Haas Racing. When SHR recently announced plans to shut down at the conclusion of the 2024 season, Briscoe was suddenly left searching for a new home.
But with 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. planning to step away from full-time racing, a competitive ride at one of the top teams in the sport opened up.
It will be a big change for Briscoe, who has never driven anything other than a Ford in the top three levels of the sport. He made his Truck Series debut in 2017, driving for the now defunct Brad Keselowski Racing. He earned his first Truck win in the season finale. The following year, he made the move up to the Xfinity Series, winning in just his 14th start.
But he truly started to turn some heads when he joined SHR for the 2020 Xfinity season. He made the Championship 4, winning a series-leading nine races. The performance earned him a full-time ride in the Cup Series for 2021.
He is currently competing in his fourth full-time season as a Cup Series driver, and has scored one Cup win (Phoenix 2022). Just this past weekend, Briscoe's runner-up finish to Bell in the NHMS race was his best finish since that victory over two years ago. His best points result also came in 2022, ending the season ninth in the championship standings.
“We are extremely excited about the future of our 19 team with Chase (Briscoe) behind the wheel and the partnership with Johnny, J.P. and everyone at Bass Pro Shops,” said Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing.
“I talk about it often, but one of the great things about our sport is the relationships you have the opportunity to build around your teams and certainly we are just so thankful to have that with everyone at Bass Pro Shops. We obviously do a lot of research before selecting our drivers and through the process everything kept pointing us back to Chase. With James’ (Small) leadership, Chase behind the wheel, and the support from Bass Pro, and of course Toyota, we couldn’t be more excited about the future of our 19 team.”
Toyota said of bringing Briscoe into the fold: “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.”
