Chase Briscoe breaks silence on the big “change” his JGR crew chief wanted him to make

Chase Briscoe, the fresh face for the #19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing recently opened up about how vastly different it is to be part of a top NASCAR team. While most of the things that are new to him have mostly to do with how well he can adapt to the #19 car itself, he also shared how his new crew chief, James Small, wants him to change at a personal level. That is something he said that he learned quite early on when he first met the latter.

Transitioning to Joe Gibbs Racing has been a challenging yet exciting journey for Chase Briscoe. Joining a powerhouse team like JGR meant letting go of many things he was accustomed to at Stewart-Haas Racing. One of the first things he noticed about the No.19 team was that his new crew chief was 'super into fitness'.

"It was one of the first conversations. I think James and I went to lunch, and he ordered this super-healthy bowl, and I ordered this fried stuff. He was like, ‘That’s going to change,'" Briscoe was quoted by Racer.

"James is super into fitness; he and his wife are diehard. As diehard as you can get about eating right, working out. So, when I came over there, James was like, ‘So, what do you do?’ That’s a big part of his life, so he wanted to know how I approach it. I was like, ‘Well, truthfully, I don’t ever eat fruits or vegetables. I eat all fried food, and I don’t work out,’" he added.

And that's when he learned that he would not be allowed to continue this pattern of taking his fitness casually. James Small told him that they both have to bring their 100% into this new partnership if they want to be a successful driver-crew chief pair. As a result of this, Small's wife, Kat Sims, ended up being the personal trainer and nutritionist for Chase Briscoe.

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Chase Briscoe wins historic pole position for the Daytona 500

The lifestyle changes and commitment to a new regimen seem to be paying off, as Chase Briscoe secured the pole position for the Daytona 500. He posted a remarkable lap time of 49.249 seconds and a top speed of 182.745 miles per hour in his final qualifying attempt.

This is not only a personal victory for Briscoe but also a big milestone for Toyota, marking the first-ever pole position for the manufacturer in the Daytona 500.

“Unbelievable way to start off the year. Unbelievable way to start off with Toyota. To be able to be the guy to deliver them the first anything when they've already accomplished so much is pretty cool ... Can't thank Coach Gibbs enough, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization,” Chase Briscoe said after the qualifying session.

He shared that the team had told him during the off-season that qualifying well on Superspeedways was one of their goals for 2025 as he had previously struggled to do so with SHR. What is also impressive is the fact that of all the open entries, both Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson were able to lock themselves in for the Daytona 500 in their respective Toyotas.

This will also become a factor in the race on Sunday as teams running Toyota cars will need as many entries as possible on the track to help them with their pit strategy. The Daytona 500 will start at 2:30 pm ET on Sunday.