Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes there’s a simple, underlying reason for why Chase Briscoe will be named Martin Truex Jr.’s successor at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Instead of taking their time and evaluating a stacked field of drivers for their coveted No. 19 at Joe Gibbs Racing, it looks like things are heating up between the organization and Briscoe. During the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. explained why it has as much to do with Briscoe’s off-track prowess as his on-track ability.
“I think it’s going to workout, but I think there’s a level of risk as well, for Joe Gibbs Racing. I think that one thing that definitely made a difference in this sign, and this is why this is happening — coming so quickly, before any other drivers you know, like [Ryan] Preece, Josh Berry and Noah [Gragson] and those guys, the reason why I think this one is coming together so quickly is because Briscoe has a ton of financial support that he himself has created,” Earnhardt Jr. delineated. “The partnerships that he’s bringing, the maybe multi-million dollar deals that he’s bringing along. He has nurtured them, to his benefit. I’m complimenting what he’s been able to do outside of the race car. That’s probably the No. 1 reason why Noah Gragson will be in Cup again next year, is because Noah too has created partnerships that love him, and they want to go take their millions where Noah goes. So I feel like Noah ends up in a pretty decent spot.
“I think that’s a big reason why Chase Briscoe is getting this opportunity at Joe Gibbs, because I feel like Joe Gibbs Racing has had a couple of tough things happen, in terms of sponsors and partnerships over the past couple of years, and they’re looking to stabilize you know, financially. A driver like Briscoe, who’s got great talent but also has great partners, that’s an easy — that’s a hard deal to turn down. A hard deal to turn down.”
While Briscoe didn’t have a ton of financial backing before he joined Stewart-Haas Racing, the partnerships he’s cultivated since have helped him secure his future, while SHR is closing it’s doors at the end of 2024. Just look at his partnership with Mahindra, a sponsor he’ll reportedly be bringing with him.
In this day and age, partnerships like the one Chase Briscoe has with his sponsors don’t come around too often, and the wheelman has the ability in the car to go along with it. Dale Earnhardt Jr. recognizes that, and believes that puts him a cut above the rest, as Joe Gibbs Racing replaces a former champion.
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