Toyota GAZOO Racing – Chase Briscoe
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
HAMPTON, Ga. (June 27, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe was made available to the media on Friday prior to qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway.
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Has there been any surprise congratulations since your win at Pocono?
“Nobody that was super surprising. I felt like it was a normal cast of characters. Tony (Stewart) did reach out and told me that he was super happy for me, and I was texting him last night about him running the midget at IRP (Indianapolis Raceway Park). It was super cool that he reached out. He didn’t have to do that, right? I would say – nobody that was really surprising, just kind of the normal people for sure.”
At the end of the race, we know you are going to be racing for the win, but are you also going to be aware of where Noah Gragson is running?
“It definitely is going to be a unique complexion to the race. I’ve never really been where it is head-to-head with one other guy. In the Playoffs, you are racing only really against 15 or 11 or 7 or 3 other guys, but never head-to-head. It will kind of be unique – if you are running 14th and they are running 16th – like that battle is going to be really intense in the mix of the battle of the race itself. It will be kind of hard, having that play out on a superspeedway – just because here, we can really be all right on top of each other, right? You could almost have a battle for the win for 15th with the guy. It is going to be a unique layer to the race. Maybe it could cause chaos at the end. I don’t know how desperate people will be in the first round, but if you get knocked out the first round, you can’t move on. I think it will add a very unique element to the race, and I’m looking forward to it. It should be a lot of fun.”
Have you or has the team put any emphasis on the in-season tournament?
“I’ve looked – not only at the matchup with Noah (Gragson) – but kind of who I will go up against every round. The team, I don’t think, truthfully, really cares. They are more worried about winning the race, and obviously, if you win the race, you are going to move on anyways. I don’t think the teams are going to change their strategy based on who you are racing, because based on the Playoff standpoint, it doesn’t really do anything. I do think when you get to the final round, or even the final four, I think there is maybe a chance that maybe teams will call a different strategy based on the Playoff situation, but yeah, it is definitely something I looked at. Noah and I trash talked each other for a little bit this week, so it will be fun to kind of have that competition, and certainly, out of all of the tracks, I would say, in this matchup deal, I’m by far the most nervous about this one – especially going up against Noah. This is a place where you can come and run really, really well, so it will be a tough challenge for sure.”
Do you get paid directly if you win this tournament?
“I have no idea. Honestly, when I did my contract at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) – I don’t think this had even been announced yet, so it really wasn’t even a talking point like it would be, when you run Xfinity with the Dash 4 Cash. It was a thing you would work around. Yeah, I need to figure that out. We have five weeks before I really need to know, but that would be cool for sure.”
Are you feeling more relaxed or relieved after getting the win?
“There is definitely a sigh of relief – just a weight off your shoulders, but honestly, I’m expected to win multiple races, not just win one and be done. I think the pressure just continues to ratchet up, but it is definitely nice to just get a win and just try to know that I can do it. It is a weird sense of feelings, because there is a sense of relief but there is also a sense of more pressure because now, they know you can win, just an unique situation for myself.”
Do you want to be racing Noah Gragson back to the line?
“I don’t know. It depends on where the wreck is, right? You don’t want to be racing through a wreck. It will be kind of unique – just how this race plays out. You could be able to be making a move against the guy you are racing against, and the caution comes out and it changes everything. It will be fun going against Noah (Gragson). He’s probably my best buddy on my entire circuit. We play golf a lot, and he’s actually my son’s favorite driver (laughter), so the pressure is on this weekend.”
Are you more comfortable against Noah Gragson versus another Toyota?
“Honestly, I feel like here at a superspeedway, we’ve seen how good the Fords are, and going against a Ford here is certainly a hard challenge. This is one of those race tracks that no matter what team you are with, you kind of have a shot to go and win. It’s no secret, right? Noah (Gragson) is not at one of the powerhouse teams, but when he comes here, he can be right here in the mix. Front Row cars qualified on the front row here last year, so it will be a challenge. I know that Noah will probably qualify well. The Toyotas don’t typically qualify quite as well, but our cars will handle really, really good in the race. It is going to be a tough challenge. Anybody that you are going up against in the Cup Series is going to be hard. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day, so it is going to be a hard one. Of all the weeks, I definitely feel like this is the one that I’m the most nervous about because this is the one that is the most out of my control, but it will be fun. Hopefully, I win because if I don’t, I will never hear the end of it from Noah or my son.”
Is this a track that would benefit from you having practice?
“I mean, yeah, I’m sure like if we had practice, guys would go out there in a pack and practice for sure. I don’t know if that would make the racing any better. I think that is one of the unique things about this place out of all of the speedways – this is where your car’s balance comes into play the most – especially that first run of the race, we always see the guys that start at the back will take on the long run and guy’s cars just don’t drive very good, so I don’t know. Would practice make our cars drive better? Yeah, absolutely, but would that put on a better race, I don’t think so. I’m not against it, especially this weekend with how hot is going to be – handling is going to be a premium, and I think you are going to see the teams that hit it the best, especially this first run of the race, really be able to take advantage of it. I’m not for practice here yet; 10 years from now, I might have a totally different answer, but for now, I’m good with it.”
Is there any way to get Brooks to root for you over Noah Gragson?
“No. Noah (Gragson) is like that uncle that you take your kid too that has Pop-Tarts, ice cream – everything else when he’s with him – every candy that you try not to give your kid. So, yeah, Brooks definitely loves Noah for that reason. Every time he’s around him, he’s getting sugared up like nobody’s business. Brooks definitely likes Noah, and it will be fun to go up against him and all of the trash talk leading into it. It will be a lot of fun.”
Do you feel like everything with the 19 team is starting to gel at the right time?
“For sure. It has definitely been a learning curve to start the season – I feel like these last, really the last month, four or five weeks, we’ve really started growing a lot and we’ve gotten to a really good point. I think there is things that we can still do better. I feel like our communication and trust in each other has grown a lot these last four weeks, so hopefully that will just continue to get better. Like I said, there is still a long way to go, but I do feel really, really good about where we are at right now. I felt good about where we were at the beginning of the season – but it was so new, and we were still learning each other that we are finally to that point of where we have an understanding and a baseline and we continue to get better and better at that. It should only get better as time goes.”
What does it mean to throw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field?
“It is going to be super cool. I didn’t really start racing until I was 11, so all I did growing up was play baseball. Growing up as a kid, I wouldn’t say I’m a Cubs fan now, but as a kid, I loved the Cubs. I loved Sammy Sosa, and Gary Gaetti played there. I loved the Cubs for whatever reason, and whenever I played my MLB video game, I would always pick the Cubs. If I had a my career player, it was always with the Cubs, so it is going to be really cool to go to such an iconic place like Wrigley, and for me, I grew up playing baseball and loving baseball. Truthfully my early passion was to be a baseball player, so for me to go there, and throw out the first pitch is going to be really, really special, so looking forward to the opportunity. It is going to be neat, and they are playing the Guardians, which is the team that I’m the closest to now. The kid that I grew up playing baseball with travel ball is the travel coordinator there, so I’ve gotten to know a lot of the Guardians organization and a lot of their team management guys. A couple of their players are huge NASCAR fans, so getting texts from them almost every single week, so it is going to be cool that it just so happens that the Cubs are playing them and they are all going to be there too, so it will be nice to see some friends too.”
Have you practiced yet?
“No, I’m just going to go there and let it rip. I played enough baseball growing up that I feel like I’m going to be alright, I just might throw my shoulder out that is all (laughter).”
What does the Briscoes generally do on the Fourth of July?
“Definitely at a Sprint Car track and baseball before I got to that point. I would be playing baseball tournaments, but yeah the Fourth of July – Bloomington Speedway always had a massive fireworks show. It was one of the best in the state, so it was all really cool to go there as a kid and be able to celebrate the Fourth of July and watch Sprint Cars and watch fireworks, and now to do it in Chicago will be pretty neat. Looking forward to the opportunity.”
How old is Brooks and has he filled out a bracket?
“He is three-and-a-half, and he hasn’t filled out a bracket. I need to have him do that, just to see who he picks. I would say that Kyle Larson will definitely goes far, Kyle Busch and Noah (Gragson) and Austin Cindric – those are four guys, I would say. Actually, I’m going to have Brooks fill out a bracket and I’ll post it online.”
Have you noticed the excitement around the in-season tournament?
“Definitely noticed on social media for sure. A lot of people have been tagging me in brackets and people just posting their brackets in general. It is really cool. Growing up, and you can still do this today, when March comes around that was the thing – you would fill out your March Madness bracket, and for us to finally have something like that is a lot of fun. People can kind of follow along, and even for myself – it might not be your favorite team, but you find yourself cheering for them if you pick in them in the bracket, and I think the same for us. People will pick drivers that they might not necessarily like, and will be cheering for them to be better in the race. It is a fun angle for all sports to kind of have that bracket.”
How long was Joe Campbell your spotter?
“Well, he doesn’t do it now, but it was 2022, 2023 and 2024.”
What was it like to change spotters?
“It is hard. Anytime you switch spotters – you get just used to having that same voice in your ear, and you learn their tendencies and you learn by the sound of their voice how urgent things need to be, you really put all of your trust in that person, but it takes time to build that trust. I worked with Tim Fedewa for three or four years and then went to Joe (Campbell), and it took us a while to get that trust built up and you learn things, so for Christopher (Bell) to be on his third different spotter is tough, because each spotter has their own way. For example, Joe, he would clear me if there was an inch – it was going be tight, but now, my spotter, Drew (Herring), his tight clear might be five inches – it is the same for Christopher. Tab (Boyd) now – how willing he’s able to clear him on things is going to be totally different than the other two guys he has worked with, and the sound of his voice and how urgent he is, even the emotional part of it is a challenge, especially, going to a place like this, where I feel like the spotter is very important as it is. It is always tough for the driver, but that is why when you find a spotter that you like and you work well with and you have confidence in, you try to stick with them for as long as possible. It will be interesting to see how Christopher adapts. He’s obviously really, really good, so he will be fine, but having that voice in your ear is a huge part of your success, especially at a place like this.”
Are you aware when you are around Christopher Bell this weekend that he has a new spotter?
“I feel like when you are in the heat of the moment and you are racing, I’m not thinking about who his spotter is, but I will say that when you have that constant guy, I know there are some spotter that will call tighter clears or be more aggressive on blocks, so when you are racing that guy, you kind of know that and when you get close enough, well this spotter will typically give it to you, call it inside or outside, but with a new spotter, I won’t be thinking he’s got a new spotter this weekend. I’m used to how they race throughout the season, based on their spotter, and some guys are just way more aggressive than others and you know that when you are racing them, but yeah, at the end of the day, I don’t think tomorrow will be like oh he’s got a new spotter, I need to be hesitant or anything like that, it will definitely be a challenging or a different complexion of a race for him and that’s totally different for sure.”
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