Editor’s note: This is the 28th in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.
Driver: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Crew chief: James Small
Final 2025 ranking: 3rd
Key stats: 3 wins, 15 top fives, 19 top 10s, 884 laps led
How 2025 ended: Briscoe’s fifth Cup Series campaign was the breakout year that was projected as the highly touted driver made the leap to Joe Gibbs Racing after the closing of Stewart-Haas Racing. Piloting the No. 19, replacing Martin Truex Jr., Briscoe surged to three victories to stamp his name as a championship contender. He made the playoffs for the third time and punched his first ticket to the Championship 4 after winning the Round of 8 midpoint at Talladega. Briscoe had a fast car to be in the mix for the title at Phoenix, but ultimately suffered two flat tires that led to an 18th-place result and third in the final standings.
Best race: Having won the 2024 Southern 500 in dramatic fashion to make the playoffs last year, Briscoe followed up with a masterclass to defend his victory in the Labor Day crown-jewel event. After starting on the front row, Briscoe went on to lead 309 laps and swept the stages en route to his second straight Southern 500 win, cementing his status as one of the 2025 title favorites.
RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | Chase Briscoe driver page
Other season highlights: Briscoe had a Cup Series-best seven poles in 2025, including three consecutive at the Coca-Cola 600, Nashville and Michigan. Briscoe picked up a career-high three victories, with his first coming at Pocono Raceway after some fuel-saving wizardry. Briscoe’s 884 laps led and 12.7 average finish also walloped his previous career bests in those categories.
Stat to know: A great season isn’t without a bit of irony. Briscoe failed to win in any of his seven starts from pole position and he didn’t lead the most laps in any of those events, either. His most laps led from pole was 81 at Iowa Speedway.
Quotable: “I’ve always just loved high-pressure situations. I feel like I just perform better for whatever reason. I feel like my whole career has always been a high-pressure situation, right? Like, there was no backup plan. You might only get one race you had to go perform and show your worth. I’ve always felt like I mean every week, I feel like I’m still auditioning to prove that I belong here. Certainly, the higher the pressure, the better I feel like I do.” — Briscoe on competing in the brightest lights after his August Southern 500 win.
MORE: Watch NASCAR video highlights
Looking ahead: After a run to the Championship 4, the expectation now is to bring home the Bill France Cup for the No. 19 team. Briscoe showed speed throughout an entire weekend consistently in the latter half of 2025 and that should carry over into 2026 as Briscoe looks to become the latest first-time Cup Series titleholder.