“Dumbest thing I could ever have”: Chase Briscoe reveals the Christmas gift that changed his racing career

Chase Briscoe looked back at a Christmas memory that shaped his racing career in an unexpected way. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver opened up on the Speed Street podcast, where he was asked to share the gift that had the biggest influence on his career.

During the podcast, Briscoe said that one childhood present changed how he looked at his future. When asked which Christmas gift impacted his racing career the most, he said:

“The only thing I can think of that was necessarily even racing related at Christmas, I never really got a go-cart or anything. But for some reason, when I was like six or seven… I was starting to go around the shop and whatnot. So I thought it would be cool if I asked for a little toolbox, so I could fit in around the shop. and I learned after I got that, that was the dumbest thing I could ever have.” (39:51 onwards)

That small blue toolbox turned into a lesson. Chase Briscoe realized quickly that turning wrenches was not what he wanted to do. He wasn’t drawn to setups, tools, or mechanical work. Instead, the gift made him realize that if he wanted a future in racing, it needed to be behind the wheel, not under the hood.

Briscoe added:

“Still to this day, I don't know how to work on race cars. So maybe that was the one thing that made me realize, hey, working on it was not for me. I need to figure out a way to convince my parents to let me drive them instead. So I guess that's the only thing that honestly stands out. It was a light blue little toolbox on wheels, and I maybe used it once, and so to this day, I'm just not a mechanical guy at all.”

From there, his journey began with local dirt and late model competition. He worked through development levels, moved to ARCA, and eventually climbed into the NASCAR national ranks.

The conversation came at the end of a breakthrough year for Briscoe, who moved into the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Cup entry. 2025 brought him three wins, seven poles, and a push all the way into the Championship 4, setting the stage for 2026.

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Chase Briscoe enjoys Christmas at home before turning focus to 2026

Chase Briscoe with his son Brooks after winning the Cook Out Southern 500. Source: Getty

Away from the track, Chase Briscoe spent Christmas quietly with family. He celebrated at home with his wife, Marissa, their son Brooks Wayne Cunningham Briscoe, and twins, Cooper Banks and Collins Ivy, along with parents and grandparents sharing the weekend. The holiday fell in the short window before preseason testing begins, giving him time to reset.

Briscoe shared a carousel of pictures on Instagram from the celebrations and wrote:

“Merry Christmas everyone! Let’s celebrate the season while remembering the true reason today for the holiday, the birth of Jesus Christ. Some of my favorites from the last couple days.”

However, the break ends soon. Chase Briscoe returns to testing in two weeks as preparations begin for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The schedule opens with the Clash at Bowman Gray on February 1, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 15.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam