Toyota GAZOO Racing – Chase Briscoe
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
MADISON, Ill. (September 6, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Was there a time that you could have imagined what you have gone through this week? How much of that would have been a dream 10 years ago?
“I don’t think – I definitely didn’t dream it up. I never thought I would run a truck race, let alone, win multiple crown jewels now. Yeah, it is crazy. It has definitely sunk in more throughout the course of the week on what we were able to accomplish and how we did it. I think that is the even more special part – you see all of the stats and things that haven’t happened for so long. It is pretty surreal, so yeah, it was definitely a special weekend, last weekend – it was just a nice week to be able to celebrate that and see the team and the demeanor and just the confidence that we all have, so yeah, looking forward to hopefully doing it a lot more.”
What is your approach for the next two races – are you trying to get the Playoff points or are you focused on the second round?
“A little bit of both – for us, the biggest thing, probably was the Playoff points – just that we gained. I think we went from 10 to 17, so basically doubled our Playoff points for the next round. For us, this week and next week still, if there is a situation that arises throughout the race, say a caution comes out with five to go before a stage – all of those guys are going to have to stay out and get the points, where obviously if we were leading, we would probably stay out to get the Playoff point, but if not, it allows us to be really aggressive on strategy and do things opposite so hopefully line us up better to win the race and get five Playoff points, so it definitely changes some stuff for us. This week we didn’t do anything on New Hampshire, but I’m sure next week we will just get a week ahead and that is the advantage of winning that first race in the round for sure.”
How much difference was the celebration this time? What are the conversations with Coach Gibbs been like?
“Celebration wise – truthfully, Sunday we got home at 2:40 or something in the morning, I went to bed probably at 4 in the morning, and my kids woke me up at 7:30 in the morning, so there really wasn’t a celebration. I don’t know. I would say the feeling of winning felt a little different – just because it was such a, I guess, a sense of relief when we won Pocono, so that part of it felt different. The interactions with Coach (Joe Gibbs, founder and owner, Joe Gibbs Racing) have been good because we’ve been running so good. Just to hear how he has talked about the 19 team, and everything has been good. I feel like all of the owners, whether it was Tony (Stewart), Gene (Haas), Coach – there is just excited that their car won, right? I wouldn’t say the interactions are any different, Coach is just around a lot more, but that is just because this is what he does full time, where Tony and Gene run other businesses as well, and do other stuff. I wouldn’t say that there was really anything different winning, but it is nice to win and have Coach excited for sure.”
What does it mean to be able to celebrate with your son?
“Yeah, it is cool. He is definitely the life of the party. He got recognized at the mall this week – he was with my father-in-law, and there is a little slot-car track in the mall, and he went and they were like – are you Brooks Briscoe? He has no idea what was going on, and then he had his first day of school on Tuesday and all of his teachers were telling him that he was on TV. It was definitely a cool experience. It is really what Darlington has meant to our family. From 2020 and the miscarriage, to now, five years basically removed to be able to celebrate with Brooks and have him there, and even the twins there – it was just a special moment. It was something that I’ve watched (Kevin) Harvick do with his kids, and other drivers do. Last year, I thought that I was going to get to do that with Brooks and (Richard) Boswell came in to give me a hug, and punched Brooks in the face so he was screaming the whole time and just didn’t have a very enjoyable experience. Where this time around, he was living his best life. He’s in every single victory lane photo with every sponsor with every crew guy is holding up two and the flag, so he definitely had the time of his life, so it was cool to be able to experience that. They weren’t at Pocono, so it was really the first time as a family that we’ve been able to experience a win, not only my family – but my parents were there, my in-laws were there, my brother-in-law, sister-in-law – just for all of us to be able to do that was a really special day.”
Do you still take it week by week when are you on the simulator?
“For us, we kind of just take it week-by-week. Like this week, we just focused on this race track, but I would imagine, next week, certainly, we will sprinkle in – whether if it is an hour or whatever – New Hampshire. I don’t think that is uncommon for the other Playoff teams either, especially if your point situation is in a good spot going into Bristol, just because it allows you to do that. I’m sure my teams and engineers are looking already at New Hampshire, but as far as me personally, from a driver sim standpoint, I haven’t done anything.”
How has your life change with people recognizing you?
“I don’t feel like it is any different. On race weekends, it is a little bit different just because more people recognize me at the race track, I guess – or asking for a picture or an autograph, but outside the race track, I don’t feel like it has really changed. We live in a really small town too, so it is just different I guess, and half of Brooks’ (Briscoe’s son) baseball team is all of Marissa’s (Briscoe’s wife) friends kids, so I guess it is just different, I guess, then going to a random little league deal, but at the race track it is noticeably different. It is nice I guess, because I guess this means I’m doing something good on the race track, but I don’t know. I feel like I’m very normal still. I’m just a dad of three kids trying to survive each day. It is cool though, because it means you are running better on the race track.”
How does it work for you at the track?
“That is a Megan (Leben, public relations representative) question. I was late coming in here, because I was literally in the middle of the fan zone signing stuff. I don’t know. I can’t tell people no. I can’t – I see other guys do it, and I don’t know how they do it. For one, I don’t like confrontation in the first place, but I don’t know. I was that kid – where you are just dying to get a picture or an autograph, and it might be their one opportunity, and I might not even be their favorite driver, but I am a driver. I don’t know. It is something I hope I never lose. It is cool for me. It is crazy for me that people even want to take my picture or get my autograph, so I just embrace it.”
How do you approach these next two races?
“I think for me – I want to keep the intensity up, just naturally, I can’t take off. Truthfully, I don’t know how many laps the race is tomorrow, but I hope that we lead every one of them and do it again. Just keep that fear for everybody else – like just the competitor side of me, even as a race team, the confidence that brings. I feel like for me, it hasn’t changed anything – just because we won, and even last week, I never once felt like it was a Playoff race or honestly, thought about the Playoffs starting. Very much just feels like another week going to the race track this week. I don’t know why this week has felt different from that standpoint where I haven’t put any emphasis at all on the Playoffs, but I haven’t. James (Small, crew chief) and I still have yet to have a single conversation about the Playoffs, so I feel like it is just another week for us to go out and try to win another race.”
Do you like to know what is going on the Playoffs?
“Yeah, I love knowing. Just the fan in me. I like to know what is going on and what guys are racing for. I just like knowing what is going on. So yeah, I’ll ask James (Small, crew chief) all of the time. We’ve not really been in that situation yet, but I think Jeff was asking me the other week, I can just ask him a random question and James is tense all of the time, he’ll jump me. (laughter) I’m sure at some point it is coming over the course of the next nine weeks – him telling me I need to stop worrying about everyone else, but I just love knowing. So yeah, I’ll definitely be asking for sure, and I’ll be checking out the big screen under caution to kind of know what is going on.”
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