“He didn’t want to lose me”: Chase Briscoe recalls how his JGR move came together

NASCAR Cup Series  Food City 500 - Practice
NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 - Practice

Joe Gibbs Racing confirmed on June 25 that Chase Briscoe is going to be the new driver behind the wheel of the #19 Toyota Camry XSE. Briscoe's former team Stewart-Haas Racing will be shutting down at the end of the current season. Therefore, as he looked for new opportunities elsewhere, JGR reached out to the 29-year-old Indiana native.

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In a recent interview with reporter Claire B Lang, Chase Briscoe revealed how his multi-year deal with Joe Gibbs Racing came into effect. The 2016 ARCA champion told the reporters that Joe Gibbs did not want him to sign a deal with another team, and hence, the sign-off happened incredibly fast.

Surprisingly, Briscoe revealed that he had no offers before Joe Gibbs Racing got in touch with him. Speaking of which, Briscoe said,

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"I didn't really have anything until last week and a half and then it came together. I felt like I was gonna have something on the table; I didn't know what it was gonna be or what opportunities it was gonna be up until when Joe (Gibbs) first reached out. I was not with any team up until that point."
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"He (Joe Gibbs) was pretty adamant that he wanted it to be quick and he didn't wanna lose me to somebody else, he kept saying. It all happened crazy fast," he added.
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However, the news was not new to the racing aficionados as Chase Briscoe's soon-to-be teammate Christopher Bell leaked the big secret during a press conference at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The two have been dirt racing buddies since they were teenagers.

Chase Briscoe shed light on Christopher Bell's role in his career

Chase Briscoe said that he would have never competed on the ARCA platform if it weren't for Christopher Bell. Bell was the one to have received the initial offer from Roush Fenway Racing, which he eventually declined.

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He told his friend Briscoe to pursue the deal instead, which ultimately led to the latter landing the ride with Cunningham Motorsports, en route to the 2016 championship.

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"Honestly from the get-go, I would have never drove in the ARCA Series for Cunningham Motorsports if it wasn't for Christopher Bell calling me and telling me that he wasn't gonna take the Roush Fenway deal and obviously giving me the name," Briscoe said during the previous interview.

Needless to say, Briscoe is happy to get the chance to reunite with his friend at Joe Gibbs Racing. He said,

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"Me and Christopher have been extremely close friends since we were 12. I mean we used to hang out almost every single day, talk every single day. Then once I got to the Truck Series we obviously spread apart. It will be fun to be back on that side with Christopher and be on the same team with him."

Chase Briscoe has one win in the Cup Series. This year, he has amassed two top-5s and six top-10s. Currently, he sits 16th in the Cup Series point standings with 405 points to his name.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer
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