Kevin Harvick reacts to ‘full evolution’ for Chase Briscoe, No. 19 team after punching ticket to Championship 4

Kevin Harvick has been impressed with the growth of Chase Briscoe, who clinched a spot in the NASCAR Championship 4 after winning the Talladega race on Sunday. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick reacted to where Briscoe is now compared to how he began the season.

“The part that intrigues me is how he started to where he is, and being able to evolve with that mindset, going from surviving knowing that if I don’t make this work, I’m not going to get another job again, to I’m a winner now, to now I’m consistent top-five contender and can win every week,” Kevin Harvick said. “That mindset, that evolution and growth that they’ve had through the year, is pretty impressive.

“I think that now it’s going to evolve, whether they win or lose this championship at Phoenix, they’re going to get that experience. They’re going to have a full evolution of experiencing all the different levels of pressure and evolution as a team and people.”

Chase Briscoe joined Joe Gibbs Racing this year after spending the last four seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing. The 30-year-old started this season strong with a fourth-place finish at the Daytona 500. He then clinched a playoff spot in June by winning at Pocono and then advancing to the second round of the playoffs when he won at Darlington at the end of August.

Chase Briscoe has had an impressive 2025 season

Briscoe has been one of the most consistent drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. Along with his three victories, Briscoe has earned 19 top-10 finishes and 15 finishes in the top five. He has also tallied 881 laps led, which ranks among the top five in the Cup Series.

During his post-race press conference on Sunday, Briscoe was asked if he was surprised to be competing for a championship in his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing. “Not surprised. I knew it was capable of happening. I knew all the pieces were going to be there. It was just a matter if I could go and perform,” Briscoe said.

“I feel like I was capable of doing it. But you don’t know until you go and do it. Yeah, I would be lying if I said the first kind of couple months of the year I was like, This is way harder than I thought it was going to be. I was able to start getting some momentum rolling.”