Chase Briscoe comes up short of NASCAR title in first Championship 4 appearance

Chase Briscoe and the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team were resilient on Sunday, but a pair of tire issues proved to be too much too overcome in the hunt for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship. 

Sunday's season finale at Phoenix Raceway saw Briscoe make his first appearance in the Championship 4, but a pair of flat tires — including one early in Stage 3 — doomed his day and put him behind the eight ball. 

Briscoe took two tires twice in the closing laps in an attempt to gain track position on his championship competitors in William Byron, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, but to no avail. When the checkered flag flew, Briscoe finished 18th, third of the Championship 4. 

Chase Briscoe's first JGR season was a success

Still, it's hard to quantify Briscoe's first season at JGR as anything other than an overwhelming success. Briscoe won three races — including a crown jewel in the Southern 500 — en route to a Championship 4 appearance and made it clear that he can compete for wins on a weekly basis. 

Briscoe and the No. 19 team are primed for another run at the championship in 2026, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him be in victory lane within the first few weeks of the season.