After joining Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) for the 2025 season, Chase Briscoe openly addressed a long-suspected issue within NASCAR regarding Stewart-Haas Racing’s (SHR) competitiveness. The 30-year-old driver, who spent four seasons driving the No. 14 car at SHR, shared that the differences between the top teams and SHR were more pronounced than many fans realized, confirming the significant NASCAR gap many insiders had discussed.
Briscoe explained that at JGR, he encountered 15 to 20 legitimate chances to win races each season, compared to only three or four opportunities per year at SHR. This stark difference underscores the challenges SHR faced in competing against powerhouse organizations like Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports.
Challenges Faced by Stewart-Haas Racing Amid New NASCAR Technology
Briscoe’s time at SHR was meaningful, having grown up admiring co-owner Tony Stewart and believing SHR would be his career home. However, the team’s decision to sell most of its charters and cease operations after 2024 marked an emotional end for Briscoe and his crew, who were visibly upset at the final race in Phoenix.
According to Briscoe, while SHR possessed the same parts as larger teams, the difference lay in the depth of engineering expertise and the size of the support crews. The introduction of NASCAR’s Next Gen car in 2022 exposed SHR’s limited resources. Previously, the team had leveraged creative engineering solutions to compete, but the standardized Next Gen car reduced that competitive edge, making SHR’s resource shortcomings more apparent.
Adapting to a New Team and Surpassing Early Struggles
Transitioning to JGR presented Briscoe with a steep learning curve. During the early part of the 2025 season, he struggled to match the performance expectations, qualifying poorly and experiencing crashes. Briscoe admitted he struggled to understand the capabilities of the JGR car, which was far more responsive and technically advanced than what he was used to at SHR.
For months, he tried pushing the JGR vehicle with the same driving style he had developed, only to find it could handle much more aggressive performance. It took nearly three to four months for Briscoe to fully realize and adapt to the car’s potential limits.
Breakthrough Wins Signal a New Contender Emerges
A turning point came at Pocono when Briscoe secured his first win of the season, followed by dominant performances at Darlington and Talladega. At Darlington, he led 309 of 367 laps, asserting his position as a serious championship threat. Crew chief James Small voiced confidence that Briscoe had become a driver capable of winning the title, while team owner Joe Gibbs expressed astonishment at how rapidly Briscoe’s results materialized.
Briscoe ended the regular season with three victories, seven pole positions, and 15 top-five finishes. He advanced to the Championship 4 at Phoenix, the site of SHR’s final race, completing a dramatic full-circle moment in his career.
Significance of Briscoe’s Experience for NASCAR’s Competitive Landscape
Briscoe’s 2025 season highlights the impact of robust team infrastructure and technical support on a driver’s success. While SHR did their utmost with the resources available, Joe Gibbs Racing exemplifies how sufficient investment in engineering and personnel translates into consistent competitiveness. Briscoe remains proud of his tenure with SHR but acknowledges the stark contrast now seen within NASCAR’s top-tier teams.
“At JGR, you might have 15 to 20 race-winning opportunities,” Chase Briscoe told The Athletic. “At SHR, that number was three or four. That gap tells the whole story.”
“Briscoe finished the regular season with three wins, seven poles, and 15 top-five finishes. He made the Championship 4 at Phoenix, the same track where he had cried on the grid just one year earlier.”
“He texted his old SHR teammates after settling into his new team, telling them that being inside JGR made him even more proud of what they had accomplished together.”
