If Martin Truex Jr. decides to retire following the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, Kevin Harvick has his eyes on his former Stewart-Haas Racing teammate to takeover the No. 19 in 2024.
Chase Briscoe has driven the No. 14 for SHR over the last couple of seasons, winning races and becoming the leader of the team through some turmoil. He’s looking for a ride for 2025 after news of SHR’s closure came to light, and Harvick threw his name into the ring during the latest episode of Harvick’s Happy Hour.
“You’re hearing a lot of rumors about Chase Briscoe going in that No. 19 car, with everything happening at Stewart-Haas Racing,” Harvick stated. “Maybe they’re at a point where they feel like it’s time for them to move on, and just start rebuilding the No. 19 team to be what the No. 20 team is, be like the No. 11, No. 54. They have secure situations that are going to be there for years to come.”
Adding Briscoe to the No. 19, regardless of whether Truex Jr. still wishes to race or not, would be a fascinating move from Joe Gibbs Racing, but it’s one that Harvick believes they have to make, to finally end the indecision from their current wheelman.
“I just think at this point,” Harvick added, “Instead of year after year, at this point Joe Gibbs Racing has to say, ‘Okay we got to move on. We got to do something different. There’s the chaos of the constant questions and it’s hard to build a team. We’re not winning races, we’re running good, but we’re not winning the amount of races for all the hassle and everything that goes with everything that comes with the scenario that they’re in.’”
The ironic thing is it’s not like Truex Jr. is washed. He’s the reigning NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion, although the No. 19 performed well below their standard in last season’s playoffs. Additionally, he’s easily the top driver without a win in the point standings at the moment, so he’s racking up solid finishes.
He famously lost to Denny Hamlin due to some controversy on the restart in Richmond, and Kyle Larson caught him in the final laps in Sonoma, but he was headed for a runner-up finish before running out of gas. Some tough luck, but Truex Jr. is certainly around the front.
Regardless, until Martin Truex Jr. makes a decision, the cloud of uncertainty will hang over his head. Whether he stays or decides to literally drive off into the sunset, he remains one of NASCAR’s best, and it would be a tough pill to swallow, not seeing him on the track each weekend.
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