Denny Hamlin’s former crew chief reacts to Chase Briscoe’s thumping message ahead of The Clash

Chris Gabehart, Denny Hamlin's former crew chief, recently shared his thoughts on Chase Briscoe's optimistic message on X. Gabehart, a veteran of the sport, has now transitioned from being the shot-caller for Hamlin's No. 11 to Joe Gibbs Racing's Director of Competitions.

Briscoe, the new addition to the Toyota roster, will drive the No. 19 Camry as NASCAR returns to the historic Bowman Gray Stadium for The Cook Out Clash in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. After moving from Stewart-Haas Racing to Joe Gibbs' outfit, the 30-year-old shared his feelings as he finished a thrilling heat race at the quarter-mile short track.

In a post on X, Briscoe wrote:

"This year is gonna be alot of fun. Can’t wait!"

In response to this elated reaction, Gabehart hyped Briscoe ahead of his debut run with JGR in this pre-season clash.

"Welcome to @joegibbsracing You know my thoughts. No better time than tomorrow to get started," Gabehart wrote on X.

Moreover, back in November 2024, Chase Briscoe acknowledged the pressure to perform at his best while competing for JGR. In a media conversation via NASCAR, the Indiana native said:

"I love the pressure side, but I do think this is probably the most pressure I’ve ever been (under) in my life, as far as professionally. It’s weird because there’s been other times where my career was literally gonna be over, right? But I feel like this is one of those opportunities where if you don’t perform, like, there’s no excuses. Like, you have to perform at JGR. So from that standpoint, it is different because everywhere else, there’s really not been that expectation."

Briscoe is replacing former Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. in the No. 19 ride at JGR and will team up with Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs under the Toyota shed.

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"The cars are really good": Chase Briscoe shares his honest feelings on first day with JGR

With The Cook Out Clash weekend underway at Bowman Gray, Chase Briscoe expressed his feelings on piloting the #19 Toyota Camry for the season's first official event. The new JGR addition will start P6 for the main Clash event at Bowman Gray after showing impressive prowess in the heat race.

Speaking with Bob Pockrass, he said:

"Overall it's been a really good start, the cars are really, really, really good. I know it's really hard to tell what you're going to have for the whole season, but it’s like this – it’s just crazy, truthfully, how much different it is. Yeah, really excited. Hopefully, we’re going to have a good run tomorrow night. Looking forward to the season this year."

Following the exhibition race, Chase Briscoe will mark his presence for the season-opening race, the Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway on February 16.