Chase Briscoe's iconic Iowa display ties him with NASCAR legend's record in his first JGR season

Chase Briscoe grabbed his sixth pole of the season at Iowa Speedway. Motorsports journalist Joe Srigley spotlighted the achievement on X.

Briscoe, in just 23 starts with JGR, now matches the total number of pole positions Martin Truex Jr. got during his 216-race stint with the team. Srigley captioned the tweet:

“FUN FACT: @ChaseBriscoe has as many pole positions in his 23-race stint with @JoeGibbsRacing (SIX) as Martin Truex, Jr. collected throughout his 216-race tenure with the organization.”

At Iowa Speedway, a short 0.875-mile track, Briscoe clocked a lap of 136.933 mph, timing in at 23.004 seconds, to take the top spot for the Iowa Corn 350. His closest challenger was William Byron, who trailed by 0.084 seconds, followed by Kyle Larson. This pole also comes right after Briscoe took the top spot at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This latest pole is Briscoe’s eighth career pole and sixth of the 2025 season. Impressively, he’s qualified in the front row in seven of the last 11 races. As per NASCAR.com, much of this success is credited to his growing partnership with crew chief James Small, whose setup decisions have helped fine-tune Briscoe’s No. 19 Toyota to suit his driving style. Briscoe admitted that Small and the engineers have adapted to his feedback, especially in recent weeks, and that shift has had a direct impact on results.

Despite being the only Toyota in the top 10 qualifiers, Chase Briscoe outpaced seasoned drivers in more established cars. Ford’s Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, and Ryan Blaney followed, with Briscoe holding his ground firmly at the front.

Briscoe was also third-fastest behind Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace, with Byron and Larson also in the mix. Kyle Busch had a rough outing, crashing during practice and needing a backup car.

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“I feel like I get overlooked a lot of the time”: Chase Briscoe opens up on racing in the NASCAR spotlight with Joe Gibbs Racing

Chase Briscoe, driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350- Qualifying - Source: Getty

With Joe Gibbs Racing, Chase Briscoe can finally perform at the level he believes he’s always been capable of. So far this season, he has notched one win, four poles, a career-best seven top-five finishes, and nine top-10s in just 20 starts, a personal best stretch for the 30-year-old driver.

In a post-race interview with Frontstretch’s Danny Peters after the Sonoma event, Chase Briscoe was candid about his standing in the sport. He shared that he often feels like an underdog who doesn't get enough credit for what he can do behind the wheel. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota said:

“Hopefully. I don't know. I feel like I get overlooked a lot of the time, but I hopefully will be able to kind of earn the respect of a lot of guys, not, you know, not even not all the drivers, but it's everybody, you know, like I was capable of doing it.”

Briscoe came to JGR after Stewart-Haas Racing shut down following the 2024 season. While his time at SHR gave a preview of his potential, including a win at Phoenix in 2022 and another at Darlington in 2023, the equipment and overall team performance often held him back.

Now, with Joe Gibbs Racing, Briscoe believes the car finally matches his capabilities. Speaking about his current run with the team, Briscoe added:

“And, you know, this #19 car finally lets me kind of show what I feel like I'm capable of. And it's just so fun to drive fast race cars. I honestly think there's only been two tracks all year long where we couldn't have won the race from a speed standpoint. So, yeah, it's just fun.”

Chase Briscoe currently ranks eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with 599 points, one win, eight top-fives, and 10 top-10s across 22 races. He has also scored five poles, led 226 laps, and has an average start of 10.77 with an average finish of 14.22.

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Edited by Samya Majumdar