'People Have Very Short Memories': James Small Calls Out Doubters After Chase Briscoe Seals Phoenix Berth

The second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2025 saw Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe prove his mettle with the No. 19 team. The Mitchell, Indiana-native won his way into the Final 4 round of the championship.

Having managed to win and qualify when it mattered in to the championship round in his first year with the team after parting ways with a now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing, Briscoe has been looked at by many as a perpetual underdog in the series. Just like his crew chief for this year, James Small, the fanbase has tended to underestimate the No. 19 driver and team’s capabilities, especially after a year like 2024, where Martin Truex Jr.’s struggles were out there for everybody to see.

Elaborating on this very fact, and on how Briscoe himself set a goal to challenge for the championship with the No. 19 JGR crew and is now set to achieve it, along with Small proving he is a championship-caliber talent atop the pit box, Small had a few words to share to remind the fanbase.

“I know I’m not immune to the fact that people like to question, when we have years like last year, when we’re close to winning many races, but we didn’t win any. People have had very short memories of the success we’ve had before. But I never lost belief in myself or my team, and I always had the support of everybody back at JGR,” said Small.

Martin Truex Jr. and Small were more often than not heard quarreling on the team radio when the going got tough. This gave the public the impression that the No. 19 team was full of internal frustration, whether that was actually the case is anyone’s guess.

Now, with a genuine shot at the championship alongside Briscoe, it remains to be seen how well the driver and team rise to the occasion.

Briscoe “is a weird dude,” says Small

When asked how Briscoe, who is making his first Final 4 appearance in his NASCAR Cup Series career, reacted to the situation, Small had some choice words for his driver. His comments offered a glimpse into the No. 19 driver’s personality and what makes him so effective behind the wheel.

“Nothing fazes him; his personality, he’s cool under pressure, he’s a weird dude. I’ve never met anybody like him. But to be a racecar driver, that’s a great quality to have,” said Small. “I just expect him to treat it (the championship finale) as another race; there’s not really any added pressure, we just gotta go out there and try and win the race,” he further elaborated on what the team’s headspace looks like heading into Phoenix.

With Denny Hamlin confirmed as one driver he will be going against in two weeks to decide who wins the ultimate prize in the sport, next week’s race at Martinsville will give us Briscoe’s remaining two challengers for the finale as the 2025 season of racing draws to a close.